The Veggie Burger of my Dreams.

Today’s lunch was spice-my-face-off good.

Literally, I was in tears by the end it was so spicy.

It all came together because I couldn’t decide what I wanted for lunch, so I rummaged around the kitchen for a while until I figured it out.

Because I had all the ingredients and it sounded delicious, I decided to made a black bean burger (recipe below), which I topped with vegan pepperjack cheese and hot sauce and laid atop a bed of kale and sliced red onion dressed with spicy salsa.

Kale has some incredible health benefits and it’s incredibly filling, which is why I’ve been trying to incorporate more of it into my daily diet. For more info on why kale is a smart vegetable choice, check out this article. I found it very insightful, yet concise.

Although the kale tasted great, the black bean burger was my favorite part of the meal.

Not only was it hearty and delicious, but it was also vegan and gluten free. Even though I’m not adhering to either of these dietary restrictions at the moment, I do try to cut back on meat consumption as much as possible because I know it’s not the best for you in large quantities. Plus, I had some buckwheat flour on hand so I opted to make this gluten free as well.

But, you by no means have to make this burger according to either of these restrictions. Feel free to use regular flour and/or dairy cheese. Or, if you’re like me (after the photos), add a little sour cream or greek yogurt on top to anti-veganize the whole thing.

Here’s the recipe.

Spicy Black Bean Burger [for one]

Ingredients:

3/4 cup canned or cooked black beans

a dash ea. of garlic powder, cumin, red pepper flake and black pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp. buckwheat flour (or any flour of choice or sub crushed crackers)

1 1/2 Tbsp. water

Directions: Combine all ingredients except water and mash well with a fork. Add water to desired consistency (should remain pretty thick). Form into a patty (I used my hands tucked into two plastic bags) and cook in a skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side.

Wa lah! Enjoy on top of a salad, on a bun or just by itself. I’m sure it’s delicious any way it’s served.

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This afternoon I also got in a good workout. As I mentioned on Monday, I lift weights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and do strictly cardio Tuesdays, Thursdays and some Saturdays.

Today I drew up another plan so I’d have some direction. Otherwise, I tend to lose focus and start doing housework in the middle of my workout. Not, good.

I used 15 lb. dumbbells on every lift except the chest “curl,” which is actually more like a frontal “squeeze.”

Everything is pretty self explanatory. But if you have any questions or would like me to demonstrate a move, let me know! I’d be glad to explain it in more detail or do a photo or video demo on a future post.

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Well that does it for me today. I just have to finish up some housework and figure out what to make for dinner.

All I know right now is that I’m seriously craving some baked french fries dipped in gobs of ketchup. Ketchup is only good in large quantities in my opinion.

Those weren’t all mine….I don’t think.

Question:

Now that I write this, it seems like most people I’ve met are either fans of or totally disgusted by ketchup. Where do you fall in this debate?

I’m a total ketchup lover. I literally squeeze like half a packet of ketchup on every bite of hamburger I eat. And you can’t even see what color my fries are by the time I eat them because they’re so covered in ketchup-y goodness. Mmmmmmm. Must, have, ketchup.

Black Bean Burgers