After reading Food Matters by Mark Bittman, I decided to make much more of a conscious effort to eat as clean as possible. Everyone’s idea of “clean eating” varies, but to me it is eating little to no processed foods. Of course it would be difficult to eat clean 100% of the time, and honestly, I’d be absolutely miserable without my Chick-fil-A and candy. With that said, my goals are to eat:
- 4-5 servings of vegetables per day
- 1-2 servings of fruit per day
- less meat/poultry than I typically do
- more fish
- more whole grains
- less sugar
This is pretty much the way I eat now, aside from the random candy at work, Chick-fil-A, and frickles.
Early last week, I read about a perfect recipe on my sweet friend Mary’s blog. I tweaked it a bit according to my food preferences and it was absolutely delicious. 
Black Bean Burgers with Spicy Corn Salsa & Avocado Crema
Makes 6-8 servings
Black Bean Burgers
- 2 (14.5 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed,
- 2 roasted red peppers from a jar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 (4 oz.) can of green chiles
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2/3 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- Olive oil
Avocado Crema
- 1 avocado, pitted and cubed
- 1 (6 oz.) container of plain, fat free Greek yogurt
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Spicy Corn Salsa
- 1 (15.5 oz.) can of sweet corn, drained
- 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
- 1/2 (4 oz.) can of green chiles
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt & pepper, to taste
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade, process 1 can black beans, roasted red peppers, eggs, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add the additional can of beans and the green chiles, then pulse a few more times until combined, but not completely smooth.
In a large bowl, combine black bean mixture with bread crumbs. Add more bread crumbs if needed, forming a firm mixture that is the consistency of ground meat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
To make the avocado crema, mash the avocado until smooth. Add Greek yogurt, lime juice. Mix with a fork until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
To make the corn salsa, mix the corn, tomato, green chiles, jalapeno, garlic, and lime juice in a medium-sized bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Remove the black bean mixture from the refrigerator and shape into 8 patties. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the patties for 5-7 minutes, flipping once.
To serve, top the cooked patties with the spicy corn salsa and avocado crema. Serve immediately. 
I insist you make this! The avocado crema is absolutely delicious on the mildly spicy burger and the corn salsa gives a good texture to the overall dish. The meal is low fat and full of fiber and protein. Thank you, Mary, for the awesome idea!
