Corn and Black Bean Burgers with Squash Fries and Spiced Lime Yogurt

Whenever I get an email from OXO asking to participate in a recipe challenge, I without a doubt jump at the chance. This time they’re partnering with the folks over at Plated to come up with some delicious recipes for their customers. The guidelines were simple—a balanced meal for two that takes less than 30 minutes and utilizes at least three OXO tools. The one slight twist is that the meal has to be vegetarian…

If you’re a regular reader of The Hungry Hutch then I’m sure you’re well aware of my sometimes purely carnivorous tendencies. But I’ve been known to make meatless dishes before and am always up for a challenge. Personally, one vegetarian dish that I love and never even miss the meat in is a good black bean burger. For my black bean burger recipe I add in some end of the season corn for a little sweetness and added texture. In my eyes, the combination of corn and black beans can’t be beat for their balance of sugar, salt, and earthiness. As a side I used delicata squash to make “fries” as an alternative to potatoes. Winter squash are just now reaching farmer’s markets and grocery store shelves for your consumption. One buying tip is to look out for produce with a wax coating, which you are likely to find in your general grocery store. But you can always just peel it off before cooking if that’s all you can find (or don’t feel like going to another store that day). The meal gets rounded out with spiced lime Greek yogurt sauce that pulls double duty as a condiment for the burger and as a dip for the fries.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized delicata squash
• vegetable oil
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 ear corn
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 burger buns

Tools:

• OXO fruit scoop
• sheet tray
• mixing bowls
• OXO corn peeler
• sauté pan
• OXO 9″ whisk

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 450˚F.
2. Trim tops and bottoms off of squash. Cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds with OXO fruit scoop. Cut into sticks. Toss with 3 Tbsps. oil, 1 Tbsp. salt, and 1 tsp. black pepper. Lay out evenly on a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Lightly mash the beans with a fork, leaving some whole. Peel corn directly into bowl, and add egg, breadcrumbs, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and 1 Tbsp. cumin. Thoroughly mix and form into patties. Let rest in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes, or until you need them. (Allowing the patties to rest helps them retain their shape and keep from falling apart.)
4. For the sauce, whisk together yogurt with lime juice, cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp. cumin.
5. To cook the burgers, heat 2 Tbsps. oil in a (preferably non-stick) sauté pan over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes per side until nicely browned.
6. Assemble burgers, plate up fries, grab your sauce, and you’re ready to go!

What are some of your favorite meatless meals?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by OXO and Plated.