I truly dislike Halloween. I try not to be a scrooge about holidays, but there’s not many holidays I celebrate. Actually, come to think of it, I pretty much celebrate none. But of them all, Halloween is my least favorite. I know that sounds unlikable and crazy, and I don’t mean to come off that way. Every year I think I’ll be different. This year, I’ll get a tree and some ornaments. This year, I’ll put lights on the house. This year, I’ll give out candy to the kids. But I never do. You can’t totally change who you are, the person at your core. You can work on it little by little, but you are who you are. And I, my friends, am not one to celebrate holidays.
It’s mostly the obligation and the excess. I have a serious problem with things – owning things, clutter, storing things that only come out once a year. I’m a minimalist at heart. I’ve tried, I have, but it’s not me. I love food and family and friends but that’s as far as I’ll go with most holidays. With Halloween, I don’t like scary things, and I’m not huge on candy, or clusters of children coming to my door, and again, all those things that we buy to go along with a holiday.
However, I do love pumpkins. And I love the foods of fall more than any other season. Squash and soups and mac and “cheese” and warm dishes make me so happy. When we lived in East Nashville, most of our friends lived within a mile radius of our home, and our home was often the gathering place. This time of year makes me long for those chilly nights with friends, those bonfires, too much alcohol, too much delicious food, but so much fun and laughter. I have yet to experience those moments again in life, and this time of year always makes me reminisce.
Here’s to pumpkin spice cocktails and soups and my new favorite burger, the pumpkin black bean patty.
Halloween Pumpkin Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
For the patty
- 1 2.5-3 lb. pumpkin (2 cups)
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil divided
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 1/2 c. cornmeal
- 1/2 c. rolled oats
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
For the sauce
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1/2 tsp. adobo sauce
- 1/2 c. veganaise
Instructions
- Roast the pumpkin: preheat the oven to 425. Peel the pumpkin and remove all seeds, and cube the pumpkin into 1" bites. Toss the pumpkin with olive oil and place on a baking dish. Roast the pumpkin for 30 minutes, turning once halfway.
- While the pumpkin is roasting, make the sauce: add the veganaise to a medium bowl. Dice the adobo peppers and add them along with the sauce to the veganaise, and stir well. Taste and add more heat or veganaise according to your liking. Set aside.
- Remove from heat and place the roasted pumpkin in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the black beans, and add to the bowl. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the pumpkin and black beans.
- Add the cornmeal, oats, spices and pumpkin seeds, and mix well.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Form the pumpkin mixture into patties, and cook, turning once, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Top with your favorite toppings and the chipotle sauce, and enjoy!