Spicy Southwest Black Bean Burgers!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GrillWithATwist #CollectiveBias

It’s no secret that I am a vegetarian hiding in an omnivores body.  I spent nine years of my life living as a vegetarian, and even still occasionally take a couple month stint on the vegan or vegetarian path.  Back when I was a vegetarian (in the 90’s) there weren’t nearly as many options as there are today, and my one saving grace was MorningStar Farms.  They really revolutionized being a vegetarian for me.  They made it possible for me to have tacos, chicken, and most importantly burgers.  They’ve come a long way since then and they now offer like 534895 different choices for vegetarian friendly dishes.

I decided to participate in the MorningStar Farms Veg of Allegiance Program and swap out four meals a week with vegetarian ones to help both my health and the environment.  You can participate as well and enter to win some pretty amazing prizes (like a car, a bike or a whole lot of MorningStar Farms loot)!  I knew that I wanted to try their spicy black bean burgers and so I decided to come up with a topping that would really let them shine. I picked up a pack at Target, as well as all the other ingredients I needed to make these burgers shine. I love going to those fancy burger places where they offer different flavor combinations, and so I came up with my own southwest burger combination!  First thing you’ll need to do is make the topping, so keep reading.

Roasted Tomato, Corn & Avocado Topping

• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 2 medium avocados
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 onion diced

Start by draining both your corn and tomatoes to remove any excess liquid.  I do this in a strainer in the sink, and I gently press the tomatoes to make sure all the juices run out.  Doing this helps the topping stay on top of the burger and makes it a little less messy to eat!  Transfer your corn and tomatoes to a bowl and add the onion and cilantro.  Stir it up really well to make sure it is all mixed together.  Then add your diced avocados.  You want to get them into bite sized pieces and you don’t want to mix them to vigorously (or this will end up a guacamole!) so add them last.  Gently fold them in with the other ingredients.  Then you are ready to add them to your burger!

I grilled up my burgers and topped them with a spicy pepper jack cheese while they were cooking.  Then I added a generous helping of the tomato, corn and avocado mixture to the top of that.  Lastly I added a few crunchy tortilla strips to the top.  I love the texture the tortilla strips add to the burger.  As you bite in you get the crunch of the tortillas strips, the creamy smoothness of the avocado the zing of the cheese and then the hearty black bean patty. This is a burger that is sure to impress even your most reluctant veggie burger friends.  My husband (a confirmed carnivore) loved them so much he ate two!!

So go ahead and pick up a pack for your next bbq and impress your friends with your mad burger genius!