Black Bean Sliders & Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

I love both veggie and black bean burgers and often order them at casual restaurants. I had some leftover black beans and wanted to try making my own. There were some small bakery rolls in the freezer left over from a party, so I decided to make sliders. And burgers are best with fries, so I paired mine with oven baked sweet potatoes.

The burgers were awesome! They reminded me of the ones I get from Chili's and were so easy to make. I prepared the patties ahead and put them in the refrigerator until we were ready to grill. The fries were tasty but I should have flipped them half way so they'd be evenly toasted. I've included my favorite Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce for the fries. It's also delicious on grilled chicken.

Black Bean Burgers

2 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 cans) canned organic black beans (rinsed and drained well)

1/3 cup chopped carrot

1/3 cup chopped onion

oil

3 tbsp minced garlic

1 egg

1/2 Quick Cooking Oats

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1. Blot beans with paper towels to remove as much moisture from rinsing as possible.

2. Using a food processor, finely chop carrots and onion. Saute chopped vegetables with garlic in a minimal amount of oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, mash black beans using a handheld submersion blender or potato masher, until beans form a paste, leaving some chunks.

4. Blot sauteed vegetables well to remove any liquids and add to mashed beans. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. Form into desired sized patties (makes 7-8 sliders, or 4-5 full sized.) Can be refrigerated until ready to use. Uncooked patties can also be frozen for another use. (We froze half.) Can be grilled, baked or panfried. (We grilled ours.)

Baked Sweet Potato Fries (adapted from Country Living)

2 large Sweet Potatoes

olive oil

cumin

ground red pepper

sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut potatoes in half both directions, then cut wedges into 1/2 inch sticks.

3. In large bowl or zip lock bag, place potatoes, enough oil to lightly coat, and desired amount of seasonings. Toss or shake to coat well.

4. Spread potatoes in a single layer on cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until brown around the edges.

* I would suggest flipping them half way for even browning, and perhaps broiling for last few minutes for toastier fries.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce (originally a marinade from allrecipes.com)

1 tbsp & 1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp steak sauce (such as A-1) or worcestershire sauce

Blend all ingredients well.

This quantity is for two people for dipping. Can easily be double or tripled.