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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Roasted Lamb and Mint Jelly Sliders

I hope everyone had a Blessed and Joyous Easter! Easter church service is one of my favorite times of the year and one of the most tearful.  I am so thankful to Jesus for his sacrifice for me.  imagine standing in Mary's shoes. 

Well I made some really quick and tasty Roasted Lamb and Mint Jelly Sliders for dinner tonight from the left overs from yesterday.  

Just a quick note: I roasted a 7 lb bone-in Leg of Lamb to perfection.  Here's how.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a paring knife make one inch incisions and insert a sliver of garlic do this all over the top side of the roast (about 10 times). Place lamb fat side up in a roasting pan.  In a small bowl mix 4T Olive oil, 2T Kosher salt, 2 T each of dried Rosemary, Sage & Thyme and 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper.  Rub mix all over the top of the lamb.   Roast lamb at 400 for 30 minutes then reduce to 350 degrees and roast for 1.5 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 155 degrees.  Remove from oven and let rest for 20-25 minutes temp should rise to 165 degrees. Serve with your favorite sides.

Make gravy with drippings!  In a sauce pan over medium heat whisk 2T flours into 1/4 cup of drippings whisk until smooth, then stir in remaining drippings up to 1 1/2 cups.  Season to taste.  Note: If your lamb doesn't produce enough dripping then use beef broth to make up the difference. 

For the sliders:
Leftover lamb sliced into bite size pieces
Leftover gravy
One medium onion sliced
1 Cup (4oz) Gouda cheese shredded
8 Fresh or Frozen Dinner Rolls
1T Mint Jelly
2T Mayonnaise
 

 Bake dinner rolls, grate cheese, saute onion and warm leftover lamb and gravy. 

Next, mix the mayo and jelly together ( I know it sounds wired but it makes assembly so much easier).

Split a roll in half, smear with the mayo-mint sauce.  Stack on heated lamb, sauteed onion, cheese and then gravy. Replace the top of the roll and Enjoy!