Black Bean "Burgers" with Roasted Red Potato Fries

Athletes are taught from the very beginning how important their diet is. The main source of protein has always been meat, but what happens when you're a vegetarian and still an athlete? How can you still train at the level that you need to be at while properly fueling your body?

That was the dilemma that I faced when God had me give up meat/seafood/eggs (as a food, not in baking) in preparation for this trip. While I am not a Division-I athlete, I do work out pretty hard at least four days a week, in addition to the lifting, standing, and sometimes sprinting that happens at work. So, after some Googling and using Stumble Upon, I found a blog that seemed to help me solve my no meat problem.

Enter nomeatathlete.com. This guy does marathons and super-marathons, running purely on plants. I did some more research, found some more blogs, and started living life as an almost-vegan. This recipe is one of my favorites that I've come up with, and I hope you like it, too!

Ingredients:

• One can of black beans, washed and drained (Or, white beans if you are in a country that doesn't have black beans, say...Belgium for example.)
• One egg
• Italian bread crumbs (start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed)

Prep:

• In a medium bowl, mash the black beans with a fork until all beans have been broken apart
• Add one egg and bread crumbs, mixing well. Add the bread crumbs gradually. You want the mixture to be sticky but not impossible to work with.
• Divide mixture into four equal parts
• Form each section into a "patty"
• In a cast iron (or non-stick) skillet, cook patties for a couple of minutes on each side, until just slightly brown
• Move the cast iron skillet directly into a 350* oven for 20 minutes. If you used a non-stick pan, transfer patties to an oven-safe baking dish for the same amount of time.

Once the "burgers" are cooked, you have a blank canvas at your finger tips. Add cheddar cheese, ketchup, and mustard for a more traditional flavor. Or, get creative! One of my favorite ways to dress up my patty is with Indian sauces and serving it on naan in place of a bun. 

For the roasted red potato fries, wash and quarter some red potatoes. Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes at 450*, until golden brown.

We didn't have a cast iron skillet here, so I just baked them on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes. They turned out alright, but I definitely prefer the black beans to the white beans.