Healthy Recipe, Chili Bean and Bulgur Burgers

Don’t let these veggie burgers fool you: They may look like fried-chicken sandwiches, but they’re actually packed with plant protein, fiber, and flavor. Try the simple broiler method for cooking the patties. A light coating of cooking spray makes the outside come out nice and crunchy. From the Food Network.

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole-kernel bulgur wheat

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Large pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Zest and juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt

One 15-ounce can reduced-sodium kidney beans, rinsed

1/3 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese, plus more for sprinkling, optional

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

2 scallions, sliced

Cooking spray

1 ripe avocado

4 Lite, whole-wheat English muffins, split

1 cup sprouts, such as broccoli or alfalfa

Directions

1. Bring the bulgur and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Strain, and let cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and cayenne, and whisk until the oil is yellow and the spices are fragrant, about 45 seconds. Let the chili oil cool to room temperature.
3. Whisk together the sour cream, lime zest and juice, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Position an oven rack at the top of the oven, and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Mash the beans, cooked bulgur, cheese, breadcrumbs, scallions, chili oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt with a potato masher in a large bowl until the mixture is well combined and holds together when squeezed. Form into 4 uniform patties about 3/4 inch thick.
5. Arrange the patties on the prepared baking sheet, and generously coat each with cooking spray. Broil until a golden-brown crust forms, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the broiler, flip each patty with a metal spatula and coat the tops with cooking spray. Broil until the tops are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes more.
6. Halve, pit and slice the avocado. Put each patty on a muffin bottom and sprinkle with additional cheese if using; top with some sour cream-lime sauce, avocados and sprouts, and sandwich with the muffin top.

Nutritional Information

470 calories, 19g fat, 62g carbohydrates, 16g fiber