Last night I was craving a burrito.  I think I was missing Los Angeles a little bit!  We didn’t have many burrito fixings on hand though, so I came up with the idea of these spicy homemade veggie burgers to curb my craving until I’m back in LA next week.  They aren’t for the faint of heart- they have some serious heat going on!

Sorry for the cell phone pictures!

To cook these burgers I first brown them in a skillet, and then bake them in the oven so that they firm up and hold their shape.  They aren’t a super firm burger though, so I would avoid trying to grill these on an outdoor grill.

They aren’t the type of veggie burgers that mimic the texture and taste of meat.  They taste like vegetables and beans- which is how I like my veggie burgers!

I like to stuff them with jack cheese, because it’s a fun surprise to bit into some unexpected melted cheese, but that step is optional.  You could melt some cheese over the top of them at the end of their time in the oven or even leave them naked and they’ll still have great flavor.

Jack Cheese Stuffed Spicy Black Bean Burgers

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp diced jalapeno peppers
• 1 small can diced green chiles
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tbsp flour or breadcrumbs, optional
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• 6 small cubes of Jack cheese

In a preheated large skillet over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and cook the onions until they are softened, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper as they cook.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the jalapenos and the can of green chiles.  Cook for about 1 minute, or until everything is warmed.  Season with soy sauce, lemon juice, and oregano.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

In a food processor, pulse the oatmeal until it is the same size as breadcrumbs.  Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.

Add the beans to the food processor and pulse until the beans are smashed, but be careful not to puree.  Add to the mixing bowl.

Add the vegetable mixture to the beans and oats.  Mix well.  The mixture at this point should hold together and be slightly sticky.  If it is too wet, add a bit of flour to bind it together.

Form into 6 patties.  Add a small cube of jack cheese to the middle of each patty and then fold the edges over so that the cheese is inside the patty.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, warm another splash of olive oil.  Add the burgers to the oil and cook for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown.  Flip and brown the other side.

Transfer to the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Flip and bake another 15 minutes.

Serve on whole wheat buns with your favorite fixings.  Avocado and sour cream would be awesome!

By the time I get home from work and go for a run, I’m usually ready to eat anything that looks even remotely edible that is put in front of me.  Thankfully, I’ve started making individual components during the weekend that I use to throw dinner together quickly during the week.

Those chickpea cutlets from the last post are awesome when warmed in the toaster oven and tossed with Frank’s Red hot on top of a spinach salad with zucchini and random farmer’s market vegetables.  I also threw some leftover baked sweet potato slices on top.

The Buffalo chickpea cutlets are also a good example of my theory that a lot of meat-based dishes taste good because of the sauce they are served with.

Another super easy week night dinner is homemade vegetable pizza.  I make this individual pizza in less than 10 minutes with the help of pre-made mini pizza shells that I find in the bread section of the grocery store near the pitas.

I top with sauce (I usually have homemade on hand, but use jarred by all means), vegetables, olives, and cheese if you feel like it.

One last quick meal: Pasta with bean balls and raw vegetables.  I made a full batch of bean balls (posted here) from Veganomicon, on the weekend, so for this meal I really just boiled some pasta, and topped it with the pre-made sauce and balls (tee hee), sliced some raw zucchini and threw some spinach on top. 

Excuse the crummy photo, smudged camera lens!

There’s no excuse to hit the drive thru when you can make tasty and healthy (not to mention much cheaper) meals like this in as little as 10 minutes!

Yes, this “recipe” is for ramen noodles.  No, it’s not healthy.  I suppose subbing the seasoning packet that comes with the fried crunchy noodles of goodness with vegetable bullion makes it a bit healthier, but not by much.

I love ramen noodles, and I don’t know if I’ll ever stop loving them.  We called it “curly soup” when I was little because of the shape of the noodles.  Now I just call it comfort.  I slurped this up yesterday afternoon when I came home from work early with a migraine, and combined with a couple Excedrin migraine and a nap with my head under a pillow, I felt 90% better after.

Trashy-Fab Noodle Soup

• 1 package of ramen noodles
• 1 vegetable bullion cube
• few slices of red bell pepper
• handful of baby spinach
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 of a lime
• handful of cilantro

Boil water, add noodles (discard the seasoning packet).  After 1 minute, add the bell pepper slices and spinach. 30 seconds later add bullion cube, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Pour into a big soup bowl and add the juice of the lime, dropping the lime into the bowl after (I just think this is fun!)  Add the cilantro, tearing into pieces as  you add it.  Top with a few drops of sriracha and eat your trashy-fab creation!

Note:  If you’re classier than I am, sub the ramen with soba noodles or other pasta.  If you’ve found a healthy alternative quick-cooking noodle  that actually tastes good, pleaseeeeee let me know!

**Don’t judge me, you know you love ramen noodles too!**