Cooking up new things...

This afternoon I wanted to try making homemade, soy-free black bean "burgers" (hereafter called patties). So after looking at a couple of recipes, most notably Kate's recipe at Vegan Ventures, I came up with these patties.

Ingredients:

1/4 green bell pepper, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
Cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder (I didn't measure, but I used a lot)
1 cup cooked black beans
Several dashes liquid smoke

Chop the bell pepper and set aside. Process the garlic, sunflower seeds, and spices until crumbly. Mash the black beans with the liquid smoke, adding a little water if necessary. Mix everything together with your hands and form into 4 patties. Grill for 5-7 minutes on your George Foreman grill.

These patties were very tasty, served up on a whole wheat bun with Dijon mustard, onion, and lettuce. The problem was, they were very crumbly and fragile, especially in transit from the grill to the bun. I don't know much about what might hold something like this together, other than eggs (which are obviously out) and perhaps tofu (which I was trying to avoid). I'll have to play around with this a bit to get it right; any suggestions?

When I checked my mail today, there was something very nice waiting for me there! I was so excited! I've already flipped through it several times, trying to decide what all I wanted to try and make right away. Bob and I decided to make the Sunflower- Lentil Pie (p. 103) tonight for dinner. We served it with the Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce (p. 56), per Dreena's recommendation in the recipe. It was delicious! I really enjoyed the earthy flavor of the pie along with the tangyness of the sauce. Very filling, served alongside steamed broccoli and a tossed salad. We quite enjoyed our nice, romantic dinner.
We have so many leftovers that it's really quite ridiculous. But I'm looking forward to cooking up a little something tomorrow... We'll see!