Black Bean and Barley Veggie Burgers (Attempt 2!)

Tonight I decided to attempt to make veggie burgers. Last time I made these, it sparked a huge debate amongst my friends about whether a "veggie burger" can really be a "burger."  I maintained it was since burger just means something patty-like that can be eaten in the manner of a traditional burger... some of my other friends did not agree.  Although under their definition of "beef patty on a bun" many other things like turkey burgers, ostrich burgers, etc. wouldn't be burgers.  Debate aside, I'm sticking to my guns... and I made veggie burgers. :)

Tonight's dinner started with me cooking the barley this morning while sitting around sipping my coffee.  Not that it really takes a whole day to make it but since I wasn't doing anything that important, I could run into the kitchen to check on the barley every few minutes.  I also started soaking the black beans this morning.  I moved the cooked barley into the fridge after it cooled a bit.  After a trip to the gym with Jeremy, I came home and cooked the beans.  They also had time to cool before I put this together.  Just check the packages for cooking times so you budget enough.

This time, I decided to grind up a good bit of the cooked barley.  I figured its carb-y starchiness would help to bind the burgers.  I was right! These didn't seem to fall apart as easily as the last ones I made, although mind still came apart a little.  I'm sure the two eggs (instead of the one in the old recipe) helped.  These were very tasty and we topped them just like we would normal burgers - tomato and lettuce on mine and onion and lettuce on Jeremy's.

This made 8 very large patties which could certainly be made smaller if you wanted.  But we're starving after the trip to the gym so it's probably a good thing that the burgers will be big. :)

We put these on sandwich flats which my mother-in-law introduced me to the last time we visited.  I fell in love with them at first bite so this week Jeremy and I picked up some "100 % whole grain flax & fiber" sandwich flats.  Delish!  They could, of course, just go on regular hamburger buns but these sandwich flats were excellent with a quick toast in the oven.

I'm looking forward to the leftover burgers over the next couple days.  Hopefully I won't have to eat them cold... everyone stay safe through Hurricane Irene!  And hopefully we keep (or get back very quickly) our electricity.

Recipe:
1 c. uncooked pearl barley
1 c. dry black beans
2 eggs
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs. parsley flakes
1/4 c. minced chipotles in adobo
1 small onion, minced
3/4 c. plain bread crumbs

1. Cook the barley and beans according to the package.  (I soaked the beans most of the day before boiling them. The barley takes less time to cook... but needs to be cooked thoroughly.  I did this far enough in advance so that they could both cool.)
2. Using a food processor, grind up approximately 3/4 of the cooked barley.  (It will be very thick and sticky.  I had to do it in batches.)
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix thoroughly. (I used my hands... nothing else would've worked right.)
4. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Portion out the mixture into 8 patties (just eyeball it... if it's off, you can correct it at the end).  Mold them with your hands and place them on the baking sheet.  Spray the tops of the patties with cooking spray
5. Bake for 30 minutes until crispy on the outside.  Serve immediately.