A long time ago I posted another recipe for black bean burgers. However, when I saw this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine, I decided to try it because the salsa sounded so good. While I liked these burgers a lot, I do have a few complaints about them, primarily regarding the fact that they didn't hold together very well and weren't cooking completely in the oven. I ended up cooking them on a skillet, the way I normally do, after their 20 minutes in the oven. While they still tasted good, they were difficult to flip and didn't stay together well on the bun. My sister gave up completely, ditched the bun, and ate hers with a fork :) The salsa, on the other hand, was a delight. My mango wasn't as ripe as I would've liked, but the avocado/mango combination was as good as it sounds. The salsa would be great atop fish or chicken, or even just served with chips. While I think I'll stick to my previous black bean burger recipe, or at least methods, this salsa will be showing up again!
Thanks, Ryan, for all your help with this meal (he did the majority of the work!)
Black Bean Burgers with Mango Salsa
from Cooking Light April 2010
Ingredients:
-2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
-3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
-3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
-1/4 cup panko (I substituted oats)
-2 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-1/2 medium jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
-2 large egg whites
-cooking spray
-1 1/4 cups chopped peeled mango (about 1 medium)
-3 tbsp chopped shallots (I substituted sweet onion)
-1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
-1 avocado, peeled and chopped
-1 garlic clove, minced
-6 buns, light toasted (I used sandwich thins)
-6 green lettuce leaves (I used spinach)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro and the next 7 ingredients (through egg whites).
3. Shape bean mixture into 6 patties. Arrange on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and bake at 350F for 20 minutes, turning once.
4. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, mango, and the next 4 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a medium bowl.
5. Place a patty on bottom half of each hamburger bun; top each with lettuce, 1/3 cup salsa, and other half of bun.
