Vegan Tuesdays - Butter Bean Burgers and Fries

My blogging friend, Wendy from Pink Stripes, has been cooking a vegan meal each Tuesday, and then blogging about it on Wednesday. Since I am trying to make more vegan meals, I asked her if I could join her for "Vegan Tuesdays". She very generously agreed, so here is my first official VT post. Please take a moment to view Wendy's blog; she's made a bunch of fantastic recipes. http://pinkstripes.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/vegan-tuesdays-is-expanding/

I made butter bean burgers with smoked paprika and paprika french fries. The burger recipe is my old stand-by, but instead of using kidney beans, I used butter beans which I really love for their buttery tenderness.

burgers:

2 cans of butter beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans

1/2 an onion, diced

small splash of olive oil

1/8 cup of flour

salt and pepper to taste

a couple drops of hot sauce

a couple teaspoons (or more) of paprika or smoked paprika

splash of water (only if your mixture is too dry)

Process everything in the food processor until mixed, but still a bit chunky. If the mixture is hard to handle, refrigerate it until it becomes firm. Mold mixture into patties (about 5 or 6), and place on baking sheet. If it isn't a non-stick baking sheet you may want to use a bit of cooking spray. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven until the burgers are lightly browned, about 20 minutes, depending on the size of your burgers.

For the fries:

Slice two big Idaho potatoes into thin strips. I leave the skin on, but it really doesn't matter. Soak the cut potatoes in a bowl of hot water for 20 minutes. In the mean time, preheat the oven to 425F. Drain the potatoes and dry them well with a kitchen towel. Drizzle the potatoes with a little bit of oil and season with salt and pepper, and a bit of paprika. Place the potatoes on a single layer on two baking sheets. Bake until crispy and browned. If the potatoes are cut very thinly, it shouldn't take long for them to cook. You made need to mix the potatoes, or rotate the baking sheets if your fries are not browning evenly.