Shwarma Black Bean Burgers

Sometimes I like to make a meatless meal to keep things interesting. It’s easier on the budget and my waistline after binging on holiday cookie for the last month. I haven’t found a black bean burger recipe that truly satisfies. Most are southwestern style, which is fine, except they usually need some help in the form of a slab of cheddar cheese – which doesn’t agree with me.

I have nothing against the occasional premade meatless burger. However, my little vegetarian niece, Miss M does. She says she doesn’t like to eat real meat so why should she eat fake meat? The kid has a point.

I decided this is the perfect opportunity to create a tasty black bean burger that fills bout our needs. Unfortunately, every burger and meatloaf I make is soupy because it lacks a trans fat free crouton binder.

As a Budget Chef, I could most certainly make my own croutons without all of the nasty stuff I don’t want my family to eat. As a Lazy Chef with real world responsibilities, there isn’t always time to do so.

One of the nicer things about being a Balancing Act Community Blogger is that they like to challenge me to develop recipes with a new to me ingredient like Rothbury Farms croutons. Rothbury Farms Rothbury Farms Organic Seasoned Croutons  croutons are one of the rare brands that are trans fat free, high fructose corn syrup free, hydrogenated oil free, AND made with whole wheat flour.

Let’s see how they taste, shall we?

Spicy Shawarma Black Bean Burgers

Spicy Shawarma Black Bean Burgers with Rothbury Farms Croutons

2 cups cooked dried black beans or 1 16 oz can of drained and rinsed black beans

½ chopped onion

1-2 cloves minced garlic

1 egg

3 tablespoons Shawarma spices

1 cup crushed Rothbury Farms Organic Seasoned Croutons

1. Crush the croutons in a blender, food processor, or with a rolling pin in the Rothbury Farms bag. Guess which one I did? Yep. Rolling pin. OK, I really smacked the bag with the stainless steel measuring cup I pulled out of the cupboard to measure the crushed croutons. Rooting through the lower cabinet for a rolling pin was.too. hard. Do whatever you like that crushes your croutons.

2. Use a potato masher to mix the black beans, onion, garlic, egg, Shawarma spices, in a large bowl while mashing the beans.

Mash! Mash! Mash!

3. Mix the crushed Rothbury Farms Organic Seasoned Croutons into the bean mixture.

 Optional: Allow the mixture to sit for an hour in the refrigerator to allow the Shawarma spices to marinate for a stronger flavor. I didn’t do this while I was developing the recipe and my burgers tasted great. However, the extra burgers I froze for later, tasted a bit better. Let your taste buds and cooking timeline be your guide.

4. Roll the mixture into ball and flatten it to make a patty.

Do you know how hard it is to take a clear one handed food photo?

5. Grill the black bean burgers or fry them in light oil on stove over medium heat.

6. Chow down!

I wrapped and froze the leftover patties for quick lunches or when I have a vegetarian guest. Cooking the frozen burgers is a little easier than a freshly made burgers.

I buy my shawarma spices premixed at a local international grocery store. Most of those little local shops have better price and selection on spices than my traditional chain grocery store. If you can’t find premixed shawarma spices for sale, use this shawarma spice recipe to make your own.

Did  you like this post? Get more like it by subscribing to the Lazy Budget Chef RSS feed or by subscribing to Lazy Budget Chef by email.

Disclaimer: I am a Balancing Act Community Blogger and received samples of Rothbury Farms products to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.