Black Bean and Cranberry Burgers with Chipotle Hummus

Who needs meat when these sweet and spicy burgers are just minutes from your kitchen table? Made from everyday pantry staples these burgers can be thrown together in minutes and will satisfy meat eaters and picky kids alike. My kids loved them (minus the spicy chipotle sauce).  I think that the dried cranberries, sweet corn and grated carrots are to credit with the fact that my kids gobbled them up right before my eyes. 

I recreated this burger from one of my all time favorite places to eat, Pita Jungle. My husband won't go there with me so every so often I just so happen to find myself alone, stranded and starving  at the mall   in the middle of no where except for this lone Pita Jungle with a cute little patio and a fantastically healthy Mediterranean food selection, my fav.  Lucky me.

While I don't mind eating out by myself every once and a while, the bill even being solo can still add up. So in an effort to save money and because I realllllly crave these burgers quite often, I had to figure out how to make them for myself.  

And I did.

Score!

Big time.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, have a few naturally sweet strawberries with your dinner instead of sugar laden cakes 

or ice cream.

I honestly think I could give Pita Jungle a run for there money on these babies. They were totally right on the money..... even better IMHO, sorry Pita, no disrespect.



Paired with the chipotle hummus instead of fattening mayo and with a side of spring lettuce, bean sprouts and salt and pepper  Organic fingerling potatoes this is a perfect healthy meal. You will leave the table with your taste buds and belly satisfied, I promise!

Did You Know That Potatoes Can Help You Get A Good Nights Sleep?

When the sugars from potatoes enter the bloodstream, insulin surges, soaking up all amino acids except for tryptophan. This in turn becomes a fuel for serotonin, the neurotransmitter that produces melatonin. Melatonin is the amino acid that controls how drowsy we feel and regulates the sleep cycle.

For the best results, try eating potatoes 3 hours before bedtime.

Black Bean and Cranberry Burgers with Chipotle Hummus

These really are super easy! Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients, in fact, I don't measure anything, I just eye it but I listed some general measurements for your convenience. 

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained

1 cup home made bread crumbs ( I use sprouted bread and pulse in my coffee grinder)

1 free range egg

1 cup frozen petite sweet corn

1/2 cup finely chopped bell or sweet peppers

2 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cup grated carrots

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I use Himalayan Pink or French Grey for the minerals)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon turmeric (optional. I use for health benefits, doesn't have much flavor)

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

6 whole grain Kaiser buns

Condiments:

sliced tomatoes

sliced purple onion

lettuce

sprouts

For Chipotle Hummus:

1 cup plain or garlic hummus (home made or store bought) 

1 6 oz. can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Mix the hummus with a tablespoon or so of the adobe sauce (not the chipotle peppers). Reserve chipotles for another use.

Putting it all together:

In your coffee grinder or mini food processor, finely grind 2-3 pieces of sprouted or whole grain bread. Set out on a plate to dry out a bit while you put everything else together. TIP: I make a big batch of bread crumbs and freeze in a mason jar for convenience.

Pre-heat oven to 425F

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, beans through turmeric.

Lightly oil a heavy baking pan such as a broiler pan. You can also fry these on a grill pan if you wish.

Using your hands, scoop a big handful of the bean mixture into a ball and then gently shape into a thick patty.

Place on oiled grill pan. Repeat until all of the mixture is gone.

Bake at 425F for 12-18 minutes until slightly crispy and hot.

Put burgers on kaiser buns spread with chipotle hummus and layered with freshly sliced tomatoes, onion, lettuce and sprouts. 

If you are making potatoes as a side dish, rinse and dry potatoes. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper to taste. Layer on a heavy baking dish {I use a stone baking dish} and bake with the burgers. You may need to put the potatoes in first depending on how big they are. Check with a fork for doneness.

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Ready. Set. Sprout! Sprouting beans and seeds is fun, simple and delicious.

How To Grow

Many of you have probably eaten sprouts and come across tutorials on growing your own.

How many of you have ever actually grown sprouts?

Did you know that it's really, really ridiculously easy to do?

My 4 and 6 year old's made their own jars of sprouts. 

Did you know that sprouts are a fabulous source of vitamins and minerals? They are a true super food.

They taste wonderful and you can put them on sandwhiches, salads, seafood, hummus, stir fry's and soups.

So what are you waiting for? First, here are a few things you need to know about sprouting.

 

First, find yourself some beans, seeds or legumes. Most any will do, however seeds for sprouting differ from the seeds you normally plant in your garden since garden seeds may be pre-treated with chemicals.

The most common seeds used for sprouting are alfalfa, mung {beans} radish, sunflower, cabbage and broccoli seeds.

I used mung beans for this tutorial that I purchased at Sprouts no less. ;)

• Rinse and sort your beans/seeds. Remove any rotten or damaged looking ones so they don't spoil the bunch.
• Using a sieve, rinse again under cool water.

Some smaller seeds can be sprouted on a moist paper towel but it's usually best to use a wide mouth jar like this one.

• Sprouts will grow up to 8 times in size so start with a tablespoon if you're using larger beans like these. I totally over did it and ended up with 4 jars jam packed with sprouts! Oops.
• Cover well with purified water and let sit in a cool, dark place for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Do not use a lid. Cover with cheese cloth or a new/un-used, cloth diaper. Wrap a rubber band tightly around the cheescloth to hold in place.

• Drain the water, rinse again with cool water. You can leave them in the jar to rinse.
• Tip the jar so any remaining water can drip out.
• Let sit in a cool, dark place
• Rinse with purified water 2 times a day.
• Do Not let them sit in water, they will rot!

This is after just ONE day! Aren't they cute?

After just 2 days.

The kids thought this was cool.

 On the third day we had edible sprouts for munching.

We let them continue to grow another day or two and plucked off the bean part. It is edible but I didn't like it much.

These were really good on top of my tuna salad!

Put sprouts on your tuna salad, you'll love them!

Try sprouts in a veggie stir fry!

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