Spicy Black Bean Sliders

Last night's menu consisted of these cute lil’ sliders. Not only are the a piece of cake to put together, but they are seriously healthy and good for you!

I really like sliders like this because they’re super simple to prepare and so much fun to eat! You can pile them high with whatever condiments you have on hand and dig in.

I topped my burgers with avocado, Swiss cheese, and a mixture of Sriracha and Greek yogurt. The best part of this entire recipe is the fact that my husband LOVED them! They were spicy and satisfying, so he didn't even miss the meat.

Spicy Black Bean Sliders

Recipe adapted from Eat Live Run

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 jalapeno

2 cloves garlic

2 T tomato sauce

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 tsp cumin

1 1/4 tsp salt

avocado for topping

Swiss cheese, sliced

1 T Sriracha (adjust according to how much heat you can handle!)

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

olive oil (or canola oil) for frying burgers

slider buns (I used Hawaiian Sweet Rolls)

Directions:

Seed and roughly chop jalapeno. Add it and the garlic cloves to a food processor and mince finely.

Add one can of beans to the jalapeno/garlic mixture and pulse to combine. Add cumin and salt and pulse until mixture resembles chunky black bean dip.

Transfer the mixture in the food processor to a large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs and tomato sauce. Stir well until everything is combined. Add remaining black beans.

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Form black bean mixture into patties and fry for about 4 minutes per side, until golden and crusty brown.

In a small mixing bowl combine Greek yogurt and Sriracha.

Serve burgers with avocado slices, Swiss cheese, and sriracha/yogurt.

*I toasted the buns in the oven prior to serving. 

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

Lasagna is our go-to meal during the week. I usually make it ahead of time and freeze it. By the time I get home from a long day with crazy teenagers...cooking is the last thing I want to do! 

Although this lasagna is meat-free, there’s nothing boring about it. Every layer is designed for maximum flavor: a spicy tomato sauce with an extra kick from sriracha, pesto-infused ricotta, grilled summer vegetables, and freshly grated mozzarella.

You can any variety of vegetables you have on-hand rather than the combination in the recipe. I used zucchini, eggplant, spinach, and onions, but mushrooms and/or squash would add a lot to the mix.

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

• 1 box lasagna noodles, prepared according to package directions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces mozzarella, coarsely grated
• Tomato Sauce
• Grilled Vegetables (recipe follows)
• Pesto Ricotta (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, then spoon 1/2 cup of Tomato Sauce onto the bottom of the dish.
3. Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles.
4. Top the lasagna with a layer of pesto ricotta, then a layer of grilled vegetables, a layer of spinach, a layer of mozzarella, and a layer of Tomato Sauce.
5. Repeat layering the lasagna, ricotta, vegetables, mozzarella and sauce in this manner until all ingredients have been used, ending with mozzarella on top.
6. Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Pesto Infused Ricotta 

• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a food processor or blender place the ricotta, garlic, and basil and process on high while adding the olive oil in a steady stream. Continue to process until well blended, season with salt to taste and set aside until ready to assemble lasagna.

Grilled Vegetables

•  2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 package frozen spinach
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 large yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Pinch of salt
• Cracked black pepper

1. Light the grill or preheat the broiler.
2. In a large shallow bowl, toss the vegetables with oil, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper. If using the broiler, arrange the vegetables in a single layer on 2 lightly greased or non-stick baking sheets. Grill or broil in batches, turning the vegetables once, until they are tender, lightly browned, and have released most of their moisture, about 5 to 6 minutes per side.
3. Thaw and drain the spinach.