Broke Burgers - Veggie Style

Hi everyone!

Today we bring you one of our favorite recipes...veggie burgers!! Stop right there meat-eaters - don't close the page before I tell you how delicious these burgers actually are! Amanda is a vegetarian and we were looking for a cheaper alternative to the Morningstar Farms or Boca burgers that she likes. These burgers taste amazing! They have wonderful spices that really add a smokey and delicious flavor, and lots of beans for a hearty taste. I will tell you, though, these do not taste like hamburgers. They are a different flavor and different consistency. Please go in with an open mind and think of it as trying something entirely new.  Even if you're not a 'veg head' like Amanda, you will have no problem falling in love with these awesome veggie burgers!

Here is what you'll need:

1 can of black beans
1 can of chick peas
1 can of white beans
1 cup of olives
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of peppers and onions (we tend to use the mixed bag from the freezer section)
3 eggs
1 cup of uncooked oatmeal
3/4 cup of bread crumbs

Spices:
Salt
Pepper
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cumin
Season Salt
Oregano
Red Pepper Flakes

In a food processor, chop up the the peppers, onions and olives. Put them in a skillet and and sprinkle them with garlic powder. Cook until the peppers are tender. Put them in a large bowl an set aside.

In a food processor, puree the beans. You want them to be a mix between a paste and chopped beans. Add them to the bowl.

Now you will add a plethora of spices, we added about a tablespoon of the onion power, season salt, chili powder, and cumin and about a half tablespoon of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano. You want to heavily season, these are beans we're starting with and we want them to taste like delicious, smokey burgers! Feel free to add more or less of each spice depending on your taste buds.

Next add the oatmeal, eggs and bread crumbs. We like to get in there with our hands to mix together all of the flavors and ingredients. You will get your hands dirty anyway when you form the burgers.

We got about ten burgers and 12 meatballs from this recipe. You can make them as thick or thin as you want to yield more or less burgers.  (We figure these burgers come out to cost less than 40 cents a piece, which is much cheaper than the approximate $1 each Morningstar Farms version!)

Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet and cook the burgers over a medium heat. Flip them after about 5 minutes. The burgers should be crispy on both sides.  Enjoy!

Tell us what you think in the comments section!