Awesome Black Bean Burgers

Stuart and I used a Groupon at Lucy's Surf Place the other day and I had a black bean burger.  It tasted fine but the texture was awful...kind of like refried beans.  I decided to make it perfect and tonight I came pretty close! 

Black Bean Burgers:
1 can (14-15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed, and thoroughly dried on paper towels, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 can green chiles (leftover from the enchilada dish below)
1 handful cilantro, chopped
Juice from one lime
1/2 cup corn (I used frozen and just defrosted it by running water on it)
1/2 t. cumin, 1/8 t. chile powder, salt and pepper to taste

1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup TVP combined with a little less than 1/4 cup water (let rest for 15 minutes and then fluff with fork)

In a food processor, combine 1/2 of the beans plus the remaining ingredients in the first list.  Pulse until combined well.  Pour into a medium bowl and add the remaining whole beans, egg, Panko and reconstituted TVP.  Form into four hamburger patties and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.

To cook patties:  Heat a little oil in a skillet.  Cook patties on medium heat for about five minutes on each side.

Serve with chipotle mayonnaise, avocado, tomato, and alfalfa sprouts.  I made baked onion rings as a side and they were awesome!!  Recipe for the rings and the chipotle mayo coming soon!!

Next time I plan on adding about 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper.  I think that would be a perfect addition of color and crunch.

Note:  We had two leftover burgers which I refrigerated before cooking a few days later.  They definitely did not stay together as well as the original burgers, so I would probably freeze the extra burgers next time.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Tarragon

The tomatoes are so great this time of year.  I've been buying these beauties lately:

I grow Mexican Marigold (known as Texas Tarragon) instead of Tarragon because it just grows better in the crazy Texas heat.  It tastes the same but it's easier to work with because the leaves aren't as delicate.  Last night I combined the tomatoes and the tarragon and made this great light pasta dish:

1-1/2 pints tomatoes, cut into chunks, some smaller and some larger for variety
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 T. shallot, minced
At least 2 heaping tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon (or Mexican marigold!)
1/4 cup or so Asiago or Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound whole wheat capellini or angel hair pasta (reserve pasta water)

Cook pasta in plenty of salted water.  Saute shallot in olive oil over low heat for a couple of minutes.  Add garlic and saute another minute.  Add tomatoes, increase heat, and stir well to coat.  Cook about 2-3 minutes; remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.  Add tarragon.  Using tongs, remove cooked pasta and place directly into the tomato sauce.  Add 1/2 cup or more of pasta water until you have a good consistency.  Transfer to a bowl and top with the cheese.

If you don't have a shallot on hand, just use more garlic.  I don't always have shallot, but I always have garlic!