Good evening Lovelies! Man I kind of missed this weekend huh? Both parties I was MIA and I am super sorry about that. I have spent most of the weekend with that man of mine. Our evenings consist of us munching on snacks, cuddling, watching Falling Skies
, and oh yeah cuddling :) He leaves in 5 days folks! What the heck! How did it happen so quick? My heart is breaking a bit....well err a lot, but I am so excited for that man of mine. He is pretty much my hero. Since I spent a lot of time cuddling this weekend, I didn't even turn on the ole' lap top, which meant no partying. Pooh! I know! Next week I will be better. I will need all those crafts to get me out of my "missing my man" mood I'm sure to be in.Tonight though, I did manage to get on my PC. I wanted to share a fun new recipe we tried this past week. I am competing (whoa that sounds official and a bit serious)....I mean I am participating in the Saucy Mama Recipe Challenge. They sent me a box of goodies and told me to get creating in that kitchen of mine. The Master Chef lover in me was ecstatic! They sent an email out telling us what our secret ingredient was......BACON. I told Miss Priss and she was immediately helping me decide on ways to use it. We try not to cook with a lot of meat, but my little red head is a carnivore to the core, so I have to include some in each weeks meals. If I don't then the Miss gets crabby and tells me stories about wanting to eat pigs and cows...well you can see how that can get dicey when we are out in public, so I just throw a chicken leg at her every once in a while. It satisfies her enough to not embarrass me in public:)
Anyways...where was I...Oh yeah bacon was the secret ingredient and you had to come up with an appetizer. My kids love anything mini. Making a mini version of something is seriously legit in my house. My Libby thinks that anything mini is just her size....plus she eats like 3 or 4 minis meaning she feels she has totally out done the rest of the family in the eating department...she is a bit competitive as well as being a meat lover.
I decided to make our favorite black bean burgers in mini form, topped with some bacon and Saucy Mama Secret Sauce. These are perfect for a lunch, dinner, appetizer, you name it!
Ready to make some for your cute family?
Lets get to it....
I made our black beans in my pressure cooker, but you could use 2 cans of black beans. Whatever works for you. I mashed my cooked beans with a fork. I added a bit of pepper and garlic to add some flavor as well. Add the rest of your ingredients to your mixing bowl. Form small patties. Mine were about 1 finger length across (I know my measuring skills are mind blowing). If your bean mixture feels a bit wet, than add some more bread crumbs/crackers.
*When you are crushing your crackers- it is best to put them in a sealed baggie and use a rolling pin to crush them. It will save you time!
I added sweet potato puree. You don't have to do that, I just love sneaking things into our food. I am secretly training to be a kitchen spy. Didn't you know? Form your bean mixture into patties and heat up your grill. I have a foreman grill, which works wonders. I can still have BBQ, but do it in the convenience of my own home. With 100+ weather here in Vegas, I have no desire to cook outside. While your grill is heating up, cook your bacon.
I cooked up a bunch of turkey bacon on the griddle. One piece is for each slider (you tear it in half and place on your burger), but I happen to have 2 kids and 1 BIG kid that were stealing bacon slices, so I ended making the whole package. Gage how much bacon to make, by deciding how many bacon thieves are in your house.
Once your bacon is cooked, set it aside. Grill your bean patties for 3-4 minutes. I was able to get 10 patties. We topped ours with aged White Cheddar slices, generous amounts of Saucy Mama Dill Mustard, and bacon. It was so freakin good!
I have never been a fan of mustard. Who knew that adding dill to mustard would make it A-mazing! We have been using it on our hot dogs, sandwiches, and burgers like crazy this week. It basically becomes your secret sauce. In the word of my 8 year old "It is dang good!" I served them with chips and cut up plums (Thank you Bountiful Baskets). YUM!
These are super yummy, quick, and easy to make. A tri-fecta of awesomeness!
Recipe time -- Print it HERE
Bacon and Black Bean Burgers
burger toppings (lettuce, tomato, mustard, etc)
bacon (1 slice for each pattie you make)
burgers
2 eggs
2 tbl sweet potato puree (optional)
2 cups cooked black beans (mashed)- did mine in the pressure cooker
1 tbl Lawry's Seasoning
1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers (crushed)*
1 small handful shredded cheddar cheese
*1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs can be substituted :)
Mix everything together in a medium
size bowl. I added a bit of pepper and garlic to add some flavor as
well. Form small patties. Mine were about 1 finger length across (I
know my measuring skills are mind blowing). If your bean mixture
feels a bit wet, than add some more bread crumbs/crackers. I was able
to get 10 patties. I cooked them on my foreman grill and served them
with chips and cut up plums YUM!
How to cook beans in a pressure cooker or crock-pot
Print Recipe HERE
Find this month's menu plan HERE.
Enjoy Lovelies!
XO Danielle
Method: Place 2 cups of beans in a pressure cooker with 5 cups of water. Bring pressure cooker valve to a slow rocking. Cook for 25 minutes. Allow to cool on its own. Follow steps above for freezing. 
