Recipe of the Month

I feel like lately, we've been stuck in a rut as far as eating goes. I make the same meals over and over. While we love the tried-and-true, I wanted to add more meals that would be easy, delicious and get us out of our comfort zone. One way I'm doing this is to use the new Shepherd/Meek family cookbook my Aunt Carol organized. We have made several meals from that cookbook and they are all awesome. Another way I'm bringing variety to the table is to actually make those recipes I see in a magazine or online and quickly jot down, thinking "someday I'll try that." For our family, "someday" is here and we're loving it. This month's recipe comes from one of those--I found it online, modified it a little, and we love it.

Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

For the burgers:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, any color, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed (unless you like it hot) and finely minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cup cooked brown rice
juice from one fresh key lime (or use 2 tablespoons from a large lime)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Saute an additional two minutes. Place onion mixture into food processor or blender. Add black beans, rice, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until beans are chopped but not pureed. Scrape the black bean mixture into a large bowl. Add 1/2 of the breadcrumbs and cilantro. Stir until mixture is combined. Divide into 4 equal portions and form into patties. If the mixture is too soft, add more breadcrumbs. Place on a plate lined with waxed paper or plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

For the mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
juice from one key lime (or 2 teaspoons from a large lime)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and stir.

To serve:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add burgers and cook for approximately 4 minutes per side, until good crust has formed. Toast 4 buns (we used whole wheat). Spread cilantro-lime mayo on buns, top with a burger, some cheese, tomato and avocado slices.

When I told Dave I wanted to try these, he was very skeptical. I was too, truth be told. And we were really glad we were daring. These are good! They're definitely not a replacement for a juicy hamburger, but they're a nice change. Dave told me "if you think of it as a bean sandwich, you're gonna love it."