Black-Eyed Pea Burgers with Summer Squash Slaw

If you've been following my blog, then you know that I try to cook at least one vegetarian meal per week. Lately, it seems like most of my vegetarian meals I've been making are some type of pasta. We tried tofu once, and although I see many tofu recipes that look pretty yummy, I don't think my husband and I are quite ready for tofu. That said, my goal for this week was to find a non-pasta, non-tofu, delicious vegetarian dinner. I was successful!

These burgers were delicious! I got excited about the idea of the burger when I first came across it, but then I started to become a little skeptical as I was mixing everything together. But once I took that first bite, I was hooked! Of course it's not quite like eating a traditional beef burger, but these had a great flavor and we both really enjoyed them! You definitely taste the black-eyed peas up front, but then the subtle flavors of the roasted red peppers, adobo sauce and other spices come through as well. I tried some bites without the slaw and also with the slaw. With the slaw on the burger, you definitely taste a lot more of the adobo sauce, which adds a great kick to everything and tastes really good with the flavor of the burger. Overall, a delicious success!

The recipe does have you use a food processor, which I unfortunately do not have. (My birthday is coming up! hint hint, wink wink...) We had to do all of the chopping and mashing and mixing by hand, which took a little longer, but well worth the effort. Assembly was a breeze and the burgers cooked perfectly in the skillet! I highly recommend you give this recipe a try next time you want a tasty alternative to the traditional beef burger!

Black-Eyed Pea Burgers with Summer Squash Slaw
Pampered Chef The Vegetarian Table
Published by The Pampered Chef, Ltd. in 2011.

Prep time: 20 minutes  Total time: 35 minutes  Yield: 4 servings

Burgers
1 can (15.5 oz) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
2/3 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained
2 large shallots
1 egg
1 tsp adobo sauce (from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
4 leaves green leaf lettuce
4 cornmeal-dusted hamburger buns

Slaw
4 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tsp adobo sauce
1 each small zucchini and yellow squash
3 green onions with tops

1. For burgers, place black-eyed peas in Manual Food Processor; cover and pump handle until coarsely chopped. Combine black-eyed peas and oats in Classic Batter Bowl. Place parsley, roasted peppers, shallots, egg, adobo sauce and black pepper in processor bowl; cover and pump handle until finely chopped. Add vegetable mixture to batter bowl; mix well. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for slaw, combine mayonnaise and adobo sauce in Stainless (2-qt.) Mixing Bowl; mix well. Cut zucchini and yellow squash into julienne strips using Julienne Peeler, avoiding seeds. Thinly slice green onions using Utility Knife. Add zucchini, yellow squash and green onions to mixing bowl; mix well.
3. Form black-eyed pea mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Heat oil in (12-in.) Skillet over medium heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Cook patties 3-5 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown.
4. To assemble, place lettuce onto bun bottom; top with burger, slaw and bun top.