Home » In Season » Cool Down With Some Spice

Cool Down With Some Spice

Posted by Matt on August 4th, 2009 at 08:40am

With the dog days of August upon us, expect sweltering hot summer days for the next weeks. Instead of retreating into air conditioning over the next month, why not try a technique used by people living in the warmest climates: eat spicy foods. This may seem counter-intuitive, as spicy foods are called hot for a reason. However, eating hot and spicy foods makes you sweat, which helps to cool the body.

This summer, cool down by eating spicy foods. For one of the tastiest spicy summer recipes around, try this Spicy Black Bean Burger. This easy healthy recipe is great for summer because you can cook it outside on the grill. Add some extra spice to the burgers by adding some Spicy Chili Powder to the bean mixture, or top the burgers with Spicy Texas BBQ Sauce. Make these burgers even more spicy by serving them with Healthy Corn and Black Bean Salsa. No matter how you serve these Spicy Black Bean Burgers, you will have a delicious grilled dish that will keep you surprisingly cool all summer long.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

Serves: 6

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 15 min

Ingredients

2 cans (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/3 cup + 6 tablespoon flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg white, beaten
1/4 to 1/3 cup bread crumbs

Instructions

1. Combine beans, onion, parsley, garlic, jalapeno peppers, 1/3 cup flour, coriander, cumin & cayenne; mix in egg white.

2. Coarsely mash into a thick chunky paste or process in food processor, using pulse.

3. Mix in bread crumbs, if necessary, for make firm mixture.

4. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours for flavors to blend. Form into 6 patties, lightly coating with flour.

5. Grill over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes on each side.

Share and Enjoy: