When You've Got Nothing...Make Something.

The last few weeks (or month, really) have been the most anxiety-ridden, stress-inducing, life-blahing weeks of my life.

So, as you might imagine, grocery shopping kinda went down the drain. I found myself with an empty fridge, an acid-filled belly, and in need of nourishment. Enter canned goods and cilantro.

Homemade Veg Burgers

What you need:
1 1/2 C drained black beans (i used a can of beans, but you can easily soak your own)
One 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 C cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic
1 onion
2/3 C shredded carrots
1 1/3 C rolled oats

DRAIN the black beans and tomatoes as much as you can (i just put it all in a strainer and let it sit for about 2 minutes). Put everything in a food processor (if you have it) or use your trusty immersion blender. Get everything nice and mushy, ground together, and smelling sweet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dole out the mush in 1/4 cup sizes, and gently shmush into a patty shape. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Flip the burgers (carefully!) and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool. Serve on whole wheat bun or bread with mustard, katsup, lettuce, etc.

The second time I made these (twice in one week), I didn't have enough rolled oats and added old rice, which worked out just fine. I also got lazy and decided not to flip the burgers, but just to see what happened if I left them where they were. Again, worked out well.

image from angrychicken, where this recipe originally came from.

Enjoy.