Pinto Bean and Corn Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

My motivation to update my blog has been lacking because until quite recently, I'd been under the impression that nobody reads my blog.  I am still fairly convinced that there are probably fewer than ten people who are at all interested in this site, but, those are some pretty cool people and are really the people for whom my blog is written.  That's right, friends and family, this blog is for you!  While on vacation with my family this past week, my sisters even specifically requested that certain recipes be posted to the blog.  I must say, that felt good.  Thanks for the blogging confidence boost, sisters!

So, this recipe for Pinto Bean and Corn Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise goes out to my sisters.  This recipe is easy, quick to put together, light and the ingredients are inexpensive.  Beyond that, you can make extra burgers and freeze them for future meals.  Although these are officially called "burgers" and I do sometimes put them between two pieces of bread, I more often eat them with a large side of salad.

Adapted from Cooking Light, January 2005.

BURGERS:

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeno peppers

2 tablespoons sour cream or plain greek yogurt

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups cooked, drained pinto beans (or 1 15-oz. drained can)

1 (8 3/4 oz) cup can no-salt added whole kernel corn, drained

CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauced, minced*

Combine onion, breadcrumbs, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, sour cream or greek yogurt, Tabasco sauce, cumin, pepper, salt, and egg into a large bowl and stir until combined.  Then, add the drained pinto beans and corn, stir, and mash the mixture with a fork until the mixture sticks together and the beans are partially mashed.  Shape the mixture into 8 individual patties; the patties will be a bit soft.  Refrigerate the patties in a large dish or on a plate, in a single layer, for at least 10 minutes.  If you do not plan on cooking all 8 patties today, at this point you can place the shaped patties into the freezer, wrapped individually in saran wrap and then sealed in a plastic bag.  When ready to eat the frozen patties, thaw them by placing the patties in the refrigerator one day prior and heat patties as directed below.

While the patties are in the refrigerator, prepare the chipotle mayonnaise by combining the mayonnaise and chipotles in a small bowl and mixing well.  Place the mayonnaise mixture in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat.

Add the canola oil to a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Add 4 patties to the pan at a time, or as many as will fit in your skillet and cook the patties for 4 minutes on each side or until heated through.

Serve by placing the burgers on a bun with a bit of chipotle mayonnaise and possibly some lettuce and tomatoes, or serve alongside a salad, with a bit of mayonnaise smeared on top of your burger.

*After I open my can of chipotles in adobo sauce, I freeze the rest because most recipes only call for one or two of the peppers.  You can use them straight from the freezer in the future.