Challenge Redux

(AKA The Family Mutiny)

After my self-imposed fail at j.'s challenge, I wanted to give it another go. I decided to make something both vegan, and entirely comprised of ingredients I already had in the house. This was my best solution for not going over the $5 limit! A search for "simple vegan recipes" brought me to Compassion Over Killing, and in the dinner recipes section, I found what I was looking for.

I had about 8oz. of tofu in the fridge that needed to be used, and I had made a pound of black beans in the rice cooker/steamer last night. Thus, I present...

Spicy Black Bean Burgers & "Chicken" Nuggets!

I've made lots of things with black beans before, but never burgers, so this was something new for the challenge. I've also seen j. making what she calls "popcorn" tofu, which seems similar except these are coated with bread crumbs instead of flour and baked instead of pan fried.

A friend and I went to England for our senior trip in high school. We spent about 10 days there, and it was an amazing, totally memorable experience. And of course one of the things I remember is the food. (I'm obsessed, y'know?) Since I had only been a veg a few years, and I had been subsisting mostly on Wheat Thins and peanut butter, it was a happy accident that I came across the "BK Spicy Black Bean Burger" at Burger King. They never brought it to the States as far as I know, but I had one just about every day while we were in London. This was my attempt to make something similar, and to be honest, it wasn't even close, but I enjoyed my creation anyway.

My family? Yeah, that's a different story...

My 3 year old ate a couple of the nuggets, took one bite of the burger, stuck out her tongue and said it was "too hot" (meaning spicy). My 11 year old ate a few bites of his burger, kept asking what was in it, decided to put cheese on it, took a couple more bites, then added barbecue sauce before he said he didn't want any more. He also took a tiny piece of a nugget and said it was gross. My husband said "I would send this back at a soup kitchen." He then covered it in barbecue sauce and ate it anyway. I think that pretty much sums up his feelings on the subject.

I thought everything was good... definitely different that what we're used to eating... but I don't think I'll ever get away with feeding this to the family again...

We're like the 3 bears - we each get our own size burger

Black Bean Burgers
Serves 4 (give or take)
Adapted from Compassion Over Killing

• 2 cups cooked black beans
  
• 1/3 cup diced and sauteed onions
• 3 slices multigrain bread, finely crumbled (I used the blender's processor attachment & added a tiny bit of olive oil while processing)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, black pepper, and onion powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
• tiny dash of cayenne pepper (also optional)
  

In a large bowl, mash the black beans. Add the sauteed onions, 3/4 of the crumbled bread, and spices. Mix thoroughly. Using your hands, form the mixture into 1/2-inch thick patties. For a breaded burger, gently coat each patty with the rest of the bread crumbs. (I dipped mine in water before coating to help it stick).

In a lightly oiled non-stick pan, fry both sides of the patties. Serve with a garnish of lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and any other condiments on buns or over a bed of rice.

"Chicken" Nuggets
Serves 4
Adapted from Compassion Over Killing

• 1 14-ounce package of extra-firm tofu
  
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup water

Drain the tofu, gently squeeze out any excess moisture, and cut into 1-inch cubes. You may want to squeeze them again carefully after they're in cubes to get them as dry as possible.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a shallow bowl, add the bread crumbs and spices, mixing well. In a separate bowl, pour 1/2 cup of water.

Dip each piece of tofu first into the water, lightly shake off any excess water, and then coat with the seasoned bread crumbs.

Put the breaded tofu cubes on a lightly oiled baking pan and baked 25 to 30 minutes, turning them over half way through cooking, until golden brown and crisp.

Serve with a dipping sauce such as sweet and sour or barbecue, or spicy mustard.