Black Bean Burgers

I make these burgers a lot in the summertime. They cook up quickly so it doesn't heat up the kitchen too much on hot, steamy summer days. They're also a good fall-back recipe for me because I almost always have the ingredients on hand, therefore they don't require any advance planning. I found myself in such a situation on Friday night, rummaging through the pantry wondering what I could throw together for a quick dinner. These simple, yet appetizing, burgers were the ticket.

Black Bean Burgers


1/3 c. chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley
3/4 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 egg
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
splash soy sauce
salt and pepper

After rinsing beans, place them in a bowl and partially mash them with a potato masher. Add all other ingredients and mix together well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Form into four large patties or six small ones. Coat pan with olive oil and saute for several minutes on each side until cooked through.
I served them on a toasted English muffin with roasted asparagus and sauteed potatoes.

We enjoyed a cheap, unfussy wine with our cheap, unfussy dinner. It was from Spain and though the bottle said that it paired well with pizza, our burgers were also a good combo.

Adventures in Wine - French Table Wine

For the past few weeks my husband and I have been sampling different wines with dinner and making notes about them. We're not exactly connoisseurs but it's been fun so far. Though I must say I don't understand those people who smell/taste so many different things in wine - I've heard everything from plums, to pears, to rosehips. To me, all wines either taste sweet or dry - fruity or woody. And usually the sweet and fruity go together and likewise dry and woody. I either like it, or I don't. That's it. I guess I've never thought anymore about it.

Mostly we've been trying to drink red wine because we hear it's good for you. But this week we had white. My recipe for our Valentine's Day dinner (I'll post about that next) called for white wine.

We chose a french table wine from Rhone Valley Vineyards called La Vieille Ferme.

What the bottle says:
This elegant and fruity wine comes from vines grown high on the slopes of the Luberon Mountains, one of the Rhone Valley's coolest vineyards. It has been meticulously selected and blended by the Perrin family, who also produce one of France's most acclaimed wines, Chateau de Beaucastel.

The blend of Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc and Roussane grapes has produced a typical Rhone Valley white. Serve it chilled as an aperitif, or with grilled fish, chicken, or Mediterranean cuisine.

We had it with shrimp and it went with it very nicely. It was not overly sweet or dry, but well balanced.