Black Bean Sliders with Baked Squash Chips

Beans Beans they're good for your heart, and if you cook them right they won't make you f....t! :D  Well that's not true they will make you toot and well that's just a fact of life.....TMI?

Black Bean Sliders wonderfully flavorful and so cute! Plus they are of course nutritional and cheap!!!  I'll provide the recipe for the burgers, but you'll have to get creative with whatever you have in your pantry for the toppings.

Here's what I used:

For my toppings as you can see I made some guacamole and a mixed one Chipotle Adobo pepper (remove the seeds) and a tablespoon of the sauce into about a quarter cup of mayo.  I also chopped up a sweet orange bell pepper and mixed it into some of the Spicy Mango Ginger Habanero sauce.  I had plenty of that sauce left from the Mango Ginger Habanero Drummettes I made a few weeks ago.  Lastly I sauteed up some onions and mushrooms then piled them on a burger with Swiss cheese.  So get creative and come up with your own fancy toppings. Please let me know what you created.

Along side these protein packed sliders I served Crunchy Baked Squash Chips.  Spray a oven safe baking rack into a cookie sheet and coat wtth non-stick spray.  Wash and dry two medium sized squash.  I used zucchini and yellow squash.  Slice your squash into 1/4 inch thick coins.  Whisk two egg whites until frothy.  Dip the squash in the egg then dredge it in a combination of 1 C Panko Breadcrumbs, 1/2 C flour and 1/2 C Parmesan cheese.  Place squash onto the rack coated and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.  Keep an eye on these, my first batch came out a bit darker than I would have wanted, but they were delicious just the same.

You could also serve your Black Bean Burgers with Crispy Baked Parmesan Asparagus too. These are soooo goood!

Here's how you make the Black Bean Burger:

Drain and rinse both cans of black beans, but keep them separated.  Dump one can of beans into the blender with 1 small onion chopped, a small bunch of cilantro (about 2 T). 1 egg, 2 cloves of garlic minced and S&P to taste.  Blend until very well mixed.  Scrape into a mixing bowl.

Add 1/2 C of Panko Bread Crumbs and remaining can of whole black beans.

Mix well to incorporate the bread crumbs and allow them to absorb some of the moisture.  No it's not pretty but either is ground beef really.

Heat a counter top griddle to 350 degrees or heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Be sure to coat whichever surface you are using with non-stick spray.

With a medium size ice cream scoop drop your burgers onto the hot griddle and lightly press them to flatten with the side of the scoop. 

 Cook until brown then Carefully flip and brown the other side.  Roughly 5 minutes on each side. 

Remove burgers and toast your buns.  Stop steering at your burgers they may look funny but believe me they are tasty, lite and good for you.  Add your favorite condiments and serve them up.  The men folk in this house didn't know they weren't meat by looking at them, until I said something.  They devoured them!

 Black Bean Sliders with Crunchy Squash Chips! 

 Get after it!

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Crispy Baked Parmesan Asparagus Spears

Asparagus! Either you love it or you don't! I love it! Even more so baked.  Baking asparagus in the oven rather than steaming it won't leave your house smelling sour.  Plus it comes out so sweet and still has a fresh crispness to it.  Yummers! 

One cup has more than your daily allowance of vitamin K. And it's a great source of folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, niacin, tryphtophan, fiber, and vitamin B6

 

Look at how crunchy they are!  These are not fried either, that's crust comes from using Panko bread crumbs. 

You'll need:

15-20 Fresh Asparagus
2 egg whites
1 C Panko bread crumbs.  I used plain, but seasoned ones would be great too!
1/2 C flour
1/2 C finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Mix the panko, flour and Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper in a large plate.  Set aside.

Place a wire rack in a cookie sheet and spray it with a non-stick product.  To make sure there is good heat flow I used a rack that stands about 4-5 inches above the sheet. 

Snap each asparagus spear to remove the woody end.  Just bend the spear and it will snap on its own in the correct spot. 

 Stir the egg whites with a fork just to break them up.  Roll the snapped spears in the egg whites to coat.

Dredge each spear in the panko-cheese-flour mix.  You can put the spears back in the egg white and dredge them a second time in the panko mix, if you want an even thicker crunchy crust. 

Place the asparagus on the wire rack and bake in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  Serve immediately while hot.  They are good at room temperature too, but aren't as crunchy. 

 I served mine with my trusted friend Siriacha sauce. Enjoy!