Black Bean Burgers With Grilled Pineapple and Mango Salsa

I love old movies.  I was raised on old movies.  Some of my fondest memories are of staying up late on the weekends with my mom and watching Fred and Ginger floating across the screen, or Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn trade witty repartee.  What I don’t remember is the old movies that sucked several hours out of your life that you will never get back.

My mom was recently in the hospital and we spent hours binging TCM.  I sat through the Andy Hardy marathon, the Humphrey Bogart marathon, and the Alfred Hitchcock marathon.

She lost me though when they started playing the B movie marathon.  Actually, it was more like the C, D and F movies marathon.

Fun fact (as Sheldon Cooper likes to say): There is actually a movie longer than Gone With the Wind, Cleopatra and Lawrence of Arabia combined.  I have no idea what the name of it is or who starred in it, because I slipped into a coma after the first sixteen hours.  Seriously, if there is ever a shortage of anesthesia, all they have to do is show this movie in the OR.  Of course there is a good chance the surgeon would nod off too, so they might want to wield this weapon with caution.

As best I can recall, the plot revolved around a group of boys who may or may not have been a gang, but were all definitely not actors.  Their tough guy accents sounded more like an Elmer Fudd meets The Godfather impression, while the fistfights looked more like they were from a Will Ferrell movie than a Rocky film.

And I’m still wondering how the lead boy had a sister, supposedly raised in the same household who spoke with a posh Grace Kelly accent while her brother struggled to form complete sentences without grunting and throwing random “see (s)” out of the side of his mouth every three seconds.

I’m thinking TCM might want to put this one back into the vault…forever.

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed and dried off
• 1 onion
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I use Ezekiel bread which has a LOT of texture, almost like a fine panko)
• 1 Tablespoon cacao powder
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1 Tablespoon nut butter of choice
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Pineapple and Mango Salsa:

• 1 cup diced mango
• 1 cup diced grilled pineapple (ungrilled is fine, but grilling it adds flavor)
• 3 Tablespoons minced cilantro
• juice of 1/2 lime

Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 (5.3oz) container of yogurt (I use Oatly brand)
• zest of 1/2 lime
• 1/2 -1 teaspoon honey or agave

Directions:

1. In a large bowl or processor, mash the beans till mostly smooth but not pureed.  Grate the onion in and add the bread crumbs through liquid smoke and combine till the ingredients come together to form a thick mixture.
2. Form into approximately 8 patties (or however large or small you want) and grill (yes, these will hold together on a grill!)  or fry in a pan a few minutes on each side till cooked through and browned.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the salsa.
4. In another small bowl, combine the ingredients for the yogurt sauce (I zest the lime for the sauce before cutting it in half to juice it for the salsa.  It’s easier that way)
5. To assemble the burger, spread a small amount of the sauce on the bottom of a whole grain burger bun.  Add the burger and top with the salsa and some more sauce.  Put the top of the bun on and…

Enjoy!