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You know what I find hard?
Making business decisions when I honestly have zero business experience. Unless you count my little jewelry making business I had in sixth grade, but that only lasted a few months. But hey, it did actually make it into a store over at Beachwood Mall on the East Side of Cleveland. I thought it was the coolest thing ever…until I got bored and moved on to my next project.
Kind of wishing life could be that easy and care free again.
Anyway, I know I have said this before but I totally stink at making any kind of decision, so when it comes to decisions about what to do, and what not do, with this blog and ultimately my career I stress and cry to my mom for help.
FYI, she’s not that helpful, but only because these are kind of my decisions to make.
I feel like if I had maybe just a few more years one me these kind of decisions might be easier for me to make.
It’s not that these things I have to decide on are anything huge. No, more just how I want to keep moving forward and the steps I need to take to get where I want to be. It’s a lot of emailing and phone calls and just a little stress on my brain, but it’s a good thing. I guess.
Kind of scary though because I really feel like an adult. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there are many times that I feel like I am still sixteen and I have not a clue how I got to be twenty (or even how I made it to twenty). It’s all just weird, scary and exciting… and all at the same time.
And now I am rambling and probably not making any sense at all.
But just know, I am terrible with decisions. BIG or small, I totally stress over them.
Moving on.
To the burgers!
The vegetarian burgers that my family loved.
Granted, I think it was the cheese that kept them from not noticing what was really going on, but still. A no meat burger that my family will actually eat, it’s got to be a good one.
The burgers are a really simple base of black beans and rice, classic Cuban food. The beans and rice get seasoned with a little cumin and a handful of cheese. Then comes the mojo sauce, which is just so very good. It’s not a thick sauce, but a good drizzle of it on the buns and then again over the burger is so good.
The slaw? Well I know it is so predictable of me, but the mango slaw really works, and I just can’t get enough of these fresh flavors.
Oh, and the garlic tostones are the topping on the cake. I mean burger!
They are just fried plantains, but they are so good. Serve them on the side or right on top of your burger. Personally, I am a texture freak, so on the burger it was.
Cuban Black Bean and Rice Mojo Burgers with Slaw + Garlic Tostones.
Servings: 4 Burgers
Calories Per Serving: 1252 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
Mango Slaw
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 mangos peeled and julienned (sliced into thin strips)
- 1/2 red pepper chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Mojo
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt paprika and ground cumin
Black Bean and Rice Burgers
- 2 cups steamed white or brown rice
- 1 1/2 cups black beans mashed
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + peper
- 3/4 cup provolone cheese shredded
- 4 slices pepper jack cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 of [your favorite burger buns | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/everything-bagel-slider-buns/]
Garlic Tostones
- 2 inch plantains chopped into 1 pieces
- 1 cup canola oil for frying
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup water
- flaked sea salt
Instructions
Slaw
- Combine the lime juice, orange juice, fish sauce, and cilantro in a medium size bowl. Add the mangos and red pepper. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.
Mojo
- Add the cilantro, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, paprika and cumin to a blender or food processor and blend until chunky-smooth, about 1 minute. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
Burgers
- In a bowl combine the rice, mashed black beans, egg, garlic, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then mix in the shredded provolone cheese. Mix well again and form into 4-5 equal burger patties (I made 5).
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grab the burgers and cook until golden and crisp, about five minutes per side. During the last minute or so of cooking add the pepper jack cheese, cover the pan and cook 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. My burgers were not crumbly at all and very easy to flip. Keep warm.
- Heat the broiler to high. Rub the mojo sauce on the inside of your burger bun and toast for 30 seconds to one minute. Remove and add a burger to the bottom bun. Top with slaw and garlic tostones (below). Add the top half of the bun and serve with the remaining mojo sauce.
Garlic Tostones
- Add the garlic and water to a medium size bowl. Set aside.
- Heat an inch or so of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the plantains and fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until just lightly golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Now transfer the plantains to a cutting board and using the back of a wooden spoon smash them down into flat disks. Add the plantains to the bowl of garlic water and let them soak 2 minutes. Remove them from the water and dab dry with a paper towel. Return the plantains to the hot oil and fry another 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden and crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Serve along side or atop the burgers.
Notes
*Garlic Tostones adapted from [Pinch of Yum | http://pinchofyum.com/garlic-tostones-puerto-rican-fried-plantains]. *The burgers cab be made in the oven or on the grill, but I prefer pan frying them as I think they stay moist this way and I love how they get crispy on the outside. *I like to make the tostones while the burgers are cooking so they are done around the same time.
Oh, and did I mention I am getting crazy excited for burger season? Because I am, and the ideas are flowing.
The flavors are insanely delicious! This is a great addition to family meal time.
Thank you so much Rochelle!
Tiegen thanks for not only Vegetarian recipies for my 13 year old with nut allergies, but Vegetarian recipies that us meat eaters can embrace, that watch our processed white flower intake. So bean burgers it is tonight with slaw hold the bun
Sounds amazing Derek! I hope you love this recipe, thanks!
I’m always looking for Meatless Monday recipes and came upon this site and recipe. This was truly delicious! I made everything as stated- except added jalapeno to the slaw. The plantains especially were delicious. I kept eating them while waiting for the cheese to melt on the burgers. I’m glad to have found your lovely site!
SO happy you loved this!! Thanks so much for stopping by, Sara!
Followed the recipe exactly and it came out AMAZING! These are the flavors that remind me of my childhood growing up in a Latin home. Thank you for a great recipe 🙂
Thanks so much, Stephanie!! 🙂
You have me drooling here!! I’m not a huge meat lover, so this is a burger I could totally fall in love with! 😉 Yum!
Thanks Jocelyn!
These burgers are so amazing! Even my hubby (who usually prefers meat) inhaled his and couldn’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch. All the flavors go so well together and, like you said, they get a really amazing crust when made in the pan. I travel to the Dominican a lot and was so excited to see the garlic tostones in this recipe, as well as all the other familiar Caribbean flavors! The mango slaw is so good, it will be something I make as a side in the future. I wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe and it is definitely a make again. Hands down, the best bean burgers I’ve ever had! Thanks so much for sharing!
YA!! Thanks so much! So happy you loved them!
Hahaha! You have no idea how timely your post is. I’m stressing out majorly trying to make a decision regarding where to send my son to school. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between options for months and I’m still undecided! I’m 26 and am still struggle with decision-making. I think the most important thing I’ve learned is to think things through logically and calmly and then be confident in your decision. Things WILL work out in the end- it’s just sometimes the path there can be a little bumpy. 😉
Good luck with you decision! Sounds stressful!
Thanks so much for the sweet words!
Those garlic tostones sound so amazing! I could just eat them like chips! I’m in awe of how many amazing recipes you come up with each week, your family is very lucky! It seems like decisions should get easier as we get older, but unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’m sure things will fall into place though, good luck 🙂
Thank you so much for the kind words!! 🙂