Whip It Up! Holiday Food

When I initially started thinking "holiday food," there were definitely thoughts of turkey-cranberry-stuffing sandwiches dancing in my head (yeah, I get the holiday itch every midsummer), but soon after realized that, hello! There is this whole holiday right here in front of me! I love the Fourth of July-- the fireworks, the barbecues, the endless Sousa marches playing eeeeverywhere... We grilled with friends today, and here is what I made, via SparkRecipes.com (oh-- and our awesome meal was deliciously completed by a certain raspberry tart. So. Good.):

Black Bean Veggie Burger

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Notes: I used yellow bell peppers, because that's what I had on hand-- and I used the remainng half to top the burgers. Also, I ended up with seven patties, which seems a little crazy, given the stated yield in the recipe...but I am ok with the leftovers! Oh, and remember to spray whatever surface you're cooking on, because there was definitely a good deal of "Aw, crap, it's going to be destroyed!" going on.

Now, for the WIU questions...

Was the recipe easy to follow?
Certainly. I mean, you mush and mix and form things. There is a good deal of stickiness, but the instructions are clear and it is easy to prep.

Did the dish taste good?
Oh, yes! I am attempting to do this thing where I have only one "meat meal" per day, in an attempt to push myself into healthier food-- different proteins and whatnot, more colorful veggies, so I thought that this would fit the bill. I was pleasantly surprised that the "burgers" had a good amount of spice and, while they certainly didn't try to taste like meat, I think that makes me respect them more. Yeah, I respect the black-bean burgers. Shut up.

Would you make it again?
Sure would! We grill so rarely that I think it would probably be easy to bake or make these on the stovetop, so I imagine that future outings will only be more successful. (I ended up freezing four of the seven patties, so there are certainly more of these in my future-- GP is not buying into the "less meat" diet idea.)

The most wonderful time...

What with the election over (bittersweet, really, because Prop 8 looks like it's going to pass in CA, and that just makes me sick to my stomach), it is officially time to start looking forward to the Holidays. Yes, Halloween is over, and judging from the displays just about everywhere, we'll be skipping Thanksgiving this year and heading straight for holly and tinsel. No? Fine, then. We'll talk about Thanksgiving, instead.

I love Thanksgiving. Because I am a ridiculous sap, and definitely do not take time to think about incorporating gratitude into my everyday life (in between episodes of Jon and Kate Plus 8), I an thankful for Thanksgiving. Really, it's like Valentine's Day, but with less chocolate and more gravy. Probably slightly less sex, but that's really up to you. I have been alternating Thanksgivings between my parents since they split up (I think that was...10 years ago?), and luckily that will likely continue post-marriage because GP's parents live in New York, which is just far too far to travel for a holiday based on eating (presents, I will travel for). This year we will be celebrating with my dad's side, at my aunt's house in Modesto. Modesto is a slightly terrifying town in the Central Valley, which is about as red as California gets-- very, very socially conservative and whatnot, and they have the distinction of being the former stomping grounds of both Gary Condit and Scott Peterson. Woo, Modesto. My aunt's cooking, however, makes up for all that-- she's been doing Thanksgiving so long that she's basically a pro, which means turkey and ham, as well as all the obligatory sides, but dessert is really the star. (When is it not?) Pie as far as the eye can see, cookies, and some pineapple/Jell-o/whipped cream concoction that I can never re-create. I'm salivating just thinking about it...

Two questions, y'all:
1) What's your favorite Thanksgiving dinner food?
2) What are you thankful for?

P.S. Bonus! Because my boss at the library internship is Canadian, we got to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving there a few weeks ago. There were bacon-wrapped green beans, and I almost melted with pleasure.