the perfect burger + fries

The one thing I really crave, pregnant or not, are burgers.  Even after becoming a vegetarian 3.5 years ago, the only “meat” I would ever crave was a big juicy burger, and I was a steak girl, not a burger girl.

How do you satisfy a burger craving?  With a delicious black bean burger!  OK, so not exactly the same thing, but bread, burger, and toppings makes this gal happy!

My go-to burger recipe is a pretty popular one among vegetarian food bloggers, and even non-vegetarians.  Emily’s Vegan Bean Burgers were a hit with me the first time I tried them.  However, Matt wasn’t too fond of the cinnamon added to the burger.  It made it less of a burger to him.  So, I had to adapt… and I must say, I’m pretty proud of the changes I made!

VEGAN BLACK BEAN BURGERS
Adapted from the Daily Garnish Vegan Bean Burgers.  Makes 4 burgers.

1 carrot, grated
1/4 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons almonds
1 can black beans, drained + rinsed
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon onion flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat over to 300 degrees.  Put carrot in a food processor and process until finely chopped.  Remove from food processor and set aside.  Add in oatmeal and almonds to processor and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.

Add in 3/4 of the black beans and the remaining ingredients to the food processor.  Process until smooth.  Gently fold in the remaining black beans.  Form into 4 patties and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 40 minutes, flipping half way through.

Although these are delicious on their own, a burger MUST have fries.  I am addicted to baked sweet potato fries.  I probably have them about once a week, if not more.  Not too sweet and just the right amount of starch.  Dipped in ketchup and they are the perfect compliment to your burger.

BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES
Serves 1 or 2 .

1 large sweet potato, thoroughly washed
Salt + pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Slice potato into rounds or wedges, however you choose.  Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.

Just like BBQ, low + slow is the way to go when it comes to these fries.  This is the first time I’ve cooked them at such a low temperature and they turned out perfectly pillowy in the middle.  Don’t expect that nice crunchy outside you get from fried fries, but I promise you, you won’t miss it!

My favorite part about burgers are the toppings.  I LOVE toppings, whether it is on ice cream, pizza, or burgers.  My favorite way to top my burger is simply with yellow mustard and pickles.  I mean, really, you can’t go wrong with pickles.

Matt likes to take his burger a little farther, adding cheese, mustard, and BBQ sauce to his, which is also divine.

But, in all honestly, I just really think you can’t go wrong when it comes to burgers.  Plus, I always make extra to stick in the freezer and can pop them in the microwave for a quick + easy lunch or dinner.

Enjoy!