Jane's Bean Burgers and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

JANE'S BEANBURGERS AND BROWN SUGAR BARBECUE SAUCE

A long time ago, a friend turned me on to the beanburgers at Burger King.  They were pretty good, although deep fried.  As time went on and I began to eat a better balance of vegetable and meat meals, I decided I wanted to make my own beanburger.  I did a lot of research and made a lot of bean burgers.  This is my basic recipe, although I have experimented with different types of bean and different types of seasonings, most of which have been successful.  They are pretty darn good, and a healthy way to get one's protein and vegetables.
I top mine with a homemade barbecue sauce, because it is difficult to find barbecue sauce here that tastes good.  Sometimes I have it on a roll, sometimes not.  Sometimes it is round like a hamburger, and sometimes oblong like the picture above. It depends on my mood, and the roll!  It's quite a flexible little thing!

Jane’s Bean Burgers

½ C grated onion

1 sweet red pepper, grated or chopped fine

1 medium carrot grated

1 hot pepper, chopped fine, seeds removed

2 cloves garlic chopped fine or grated

1 t olive oil

1 big can pinto beans (400 g) drained and rinsed 

2 t cumin

1 ½ t chili powder

¼ t hot pepper

Salt (to taste)

1 egg

1-2 C whole wheat bread crumbs

cheese - your choice!

Make bread crumbs from 2 large slices of whole wheat bread (or 3-4 small slices). I often use the food processor for this. I also use the food processor to grate all the vegetables in one go. Saute onion, red pepper, carrot and garlic in 1 t olive oil until soft.  Put beans in food processor and pulse a few times til coarsely chopped, or mash them with potato masher.  Mix cooked veg and beans together.  Add spices and mix to taste.  Add an egg and mix.  Add bread crumbs a little at a time til bean mix is a good consistency for making into about 6 patties.  Use a non stick pan and 1 tsp olive oil and fry the patties.  (Put them in the cold pan and heat up for a better crispy crust.)  Flip when browned on one side (about 4 minutes).  When finished, put in oven or microwave with a slice of cheese on top to melt.

These freeze very well.  I wrap up the individual burgers in plastic wrap and put them into a freezer bag. It's easy to take out as many as you need, thaw and cook.

I like mine served with what my daughter calls "Mommy Ketchup" - a homemade barbecue sauce that I prefer to ketchup.  I got this recipe from Cooking Light magazine a looooong time ago:

Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce  

(http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/brown-sugar-barbecue-sauce-10000001197242/)

---

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups no salt-added tomato sauce
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses (or pekmez if you live in Turkey!)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons barbecue smoked seasoning (such as Hickory Liquid Smoke)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

Preparation

Combine tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently.