Wedding Shower

Last night I attended a wedding shower for Lara, my co-worker. The event was hosted in our event room at work in the new 19 Hot Metal building. It is a perfect location for an event. I think that as a company we should rent out the space for small external events. The room is lined with windows overlooking an outdoor patio near the river. On a nice summer day the event could easily spill out onto the patio and the green grass.

Our cafeteria catered the event and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity. They had asian chicken skewers, mini black bean burgers, veggies, antipasta plater, and bruschetta. I liked the idea of the black bean burgers and thought I could serve them at my next summer party with a side of guacomole and pico de gallo.

Mini Black Bean Burgers

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a
baking sheet. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into twelve patties. Place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes, flip and cook for 5 more minutes.