Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Lunch in a Box: Chipotle Black Bean Burgers

I've now made several variations of bean burgers as a meat free alternative for our weekly lunches. I think the Asian Black Bean Burgers are still my favorite, but these are a close second. They're cheap, easy to make, and can be made in bulk for freezing. I usually add a grain to the burgers, but was too lazy to make a batch of quinoa this go around. So I stuck with beans and pretty much items that were already in our pantry, minus some fresh cilantro and an onion.

While the carb count on these is a little higher than I would like, the fact that they are vegan and (non-certified gluten free) make up for it. I'm just been careful to make sure that my other foods for the day are lower carb and higher protein. Instead of using flour, I substituted oats that I blended in our Vitamix. I'm really trying to cut back on flour and found this was a great change. I say non-certified gluten free because I used the canister of Quaker Oats in our pantry that don't have the specific label on it. So if you have celiac disease, you will probably want to find a certified brand. But if you're looking to just reduce the amount of gluten that you eat, then these are perfect.

I paired the black bean burger with a spinach salad and salsa for dressing, cottage cheese (to up my protein) and fresh watermelon that Hank picked from the Farmer's Market. Delish!


The Holland House: Chipotle Black Bean Burger



Chipotle Black Bean Burgers
(makes about 8 patties)

2 cans black beans (drained, rinsed and separated)
1/3 chopped bell pepper (I used red, but any color is fine)
1/3 red onion, large chopped
1-3 chipotle peppers (really depends on how much heat you want)
1 tsp chipotle pepper sauce from can (again- adjust to your preference)
juice of one lime

1/2 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 oat flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 cup loosely chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400°

1- Mix one can of black beans, bell pepper, onion and chipotle peppers/sauce in a food processor until blended.

2- Put mixture into a large bowl, and add remaining can of beans and other ingredients. Stir well until blended.

3- Drop by heaping spoonful onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

4- Bake for 10 minutes on one side, flip, and then about 5 minutes on the other.

Note: instead of dirtying up a colander, I usually open the lid on a can of beans almost all the way, and then rinse and drain straight in the can. I'm either totally lazy, or brilliant. Regardless, I hate cleaning dishes.


Best estimate for nutritional information (per burger):

141 calories
2.8g fat
47.7mg sodium
23g carbs
8.7g fiber
2.1g sugar
9g protein

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