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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, IÂ 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.
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.
Oh man, I agree. Can’t we go back to simpler days? On another notes, these burgers look killer. Love the flavors!
Yes, simpler days!
Thanks so much, Laura!
Is there chipotle pepper, or sauce in the burger? Mentions it in recipe, but not listed. Making these now, have it all together, it looks amazing! Another fantastic recipe! And my kids are 20 and 21, in college, and heading to law school, and they still call for all their decisions, as a mom I love to be still so involved :))
No sauce, sorry about that! Hope you love these burgers! 🙂
Thanks!
Thanks!! I ended up adding a couple teaspoons sauce from chipotle chili’s to the burgers because I didn’t see this in time! They were fantastic! Loved how well they held together! And the mojo and sauce made them awesome!! Also added onion slices and avocado! Needed a knife and fork, but so good! You rock!!
YUM!! So happy you loved this! Thank you!!
You mentioned “chipotle cumin” in the instructions under burger, but not in the ingredients. Is that a spicy cumin? Other than that in have all the ingredients on hand to make this burger tonight!
Oops, typo in the recipe. So sorry, it is just cumin. Hope you love this!
Thanks!
Geez Louise, these are so creative! You have such great ideas. I really want to give these a try! Hang in there on the decision making, it sucks, I am with you there. But I’ll tell you a secret, you’ll still feel 16, even when you’re like 30, it’s crazy but true. ; )
HOLY SHEET< GIIIRL! This burger is the shiz. I love it!
Thanks Ashley!
Tighen your recipes are always so unique and full of flavour!
Thank you! 🙂
Well you seem to be able to decide how to create amazing recipes every day, so I suspect your decision-making process is better than you give yourself credit for… Please know it’s not just your age – I’m more than twice your age, and I still stress about decisions all the time. Some of us are just a bit more indecisive than others 🙂 Good luck with everything, and thanks for the continued culinary inspiration!
Thank you so much!! Such a sweet comment! 🙂
This looks so delicious! Definitely going to try this soon! Wishing this was for dinner tonight!
Thanks so much, Pamela!!
Yay for veggie burger season! I love how ‘beefy’ this one is 🙂 Your photos are beautiful, and make me want to stop everything and fire up the grill.
Thanks so much!! And yay, yes for burger season!
Ha, I know the feeling. I’m 32 and I just figured out what I want to do with my life. 🙂 You’ll get it all figured out eventually. Try not to stress over it!
These burgers look amazeballs, Tieghan! Could totally go for one right now. I’ve been craving a burger since last week!
Thank you so much, Julie!! Stressing is kind of my thing though! Ha!
Hi Tieghan,
For my first 30 years of life I had all the answers – now that I’m 30 I feel like I have none of the answers. Good luck! Maybe the situation will be reversed for you.
Ha! I hope so because I currently have zero answers. Thanks so much!!
These burgers look delicious and I could use one right now! In the recipe ingredients you indicate 3 tablespoons of olive oil but when reading the instructions I only see 1 tablespoon mentioned—and that is when they are fried. Am I missing the other 2 somewhere? Awesome blog, Girl!
Oops! Sorry, that was a typo. The oil is just for the pan. you only need 1 tablespoon, maybe 2.
Thanks Anne!!
Please ship some of these my way ASAP! 😉 I LOVE everything about these. Creative veggie burgers like these are SO refreshing to see.
Hehe! Thanks so much! Veggie burgers are the best! 🙂
Dude, yes and yes! I need this burger ASAP!
Thanks Lauren!!
These look so good!!! I LOOOOOVE to stones!
Also, I still feel 16, and I’m 20, so it totally doesn’t get any easier haha!
Thanks Rachael!! Better to feel younger if you ask me!