Burgers and Corn and Black Beans, Oh My!

[whoorl]

Hello, there! I'm Sarah and I'm on a mission to make dinner time a happy time. Is that too much to ask, people? I have two children, a 5-year-old son who won't even occupy the same room as a vegetable, and a 1-year-old daughter who will eat absolutely anything, but only has four teeth, which kind of poses an issue.

After many trial runs, I have found several family friendly meals that seem to keep everyone happy, and I thought I would share them with you over the course of the next two months. Let's get down to business!

Dinner numero uno, burgers!

(I know what you're thinking...burgers? BURGERS? That's all you've got, woman? I'm outta here! Wait! Hear me out. Since fall is approaching, many of the recipes I'm going to share with you are slow cooker, cooler weather meals. However, if you live anywhere near Southern California, you know that we had the hottest day of the year this past week, and let me tell you, a hearty Beef Bourguignon just wasn't doing it for me. Delicious burgers and a fresh corn and black bean salad, though? Helloooo, lover.)

Savory Burgers

Burgers seem self-explanatory; and well, they pretty much are when it comes to assembling them, but it's all about the patty. I promise that the following method will make the most delicious, mouth-watering patties that will leave your children begging for seconds and thirds.

1.5 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup tomato juice
1 egg
salt and pepper

Mix these five ingredients together and form into 1-inch thick patties. If you still have enough light in the evening, throw those bad boys on the outdoor grill for 7-8 minutes total. (This creates a medium well burger. Adjust your time accordingly.) Don't worry if you don't have an outdoor grill, just use an indoor grill, skillet or even a George Foreman.

Assemble with whatever condiments you please. (Ketchup only for my kiddos, but the works for me.)

Fresh Corn & Black Bean Salad

1 can black beans, drained

16 oz. of corn (fresh is best)

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled & chopped

1 avocado, chopped

chopped fresh cilantro to taste

Kraft Zesty Italian dressing, to taste

Not to get all Ina Garten on you, but what really makes this salad is using fresh corn, although you can use canned corn if you're in a rush. I like to take the starchiness out of my corn cobs by boiling them in water for 3-4 minutes and immediately putting them in ice cold water to retain the color.

After they have cooled, cut the corn off the cob and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Voilá! A meal that makes everyone smile. Also, the patties are great as leftovers for the kids - I just cut them up in bite-sized pieces for my 1-year-old.

Are your family members big burger eaters? What's your favorite way to make patties?

[amonkeymom]

Yum!  Your burger recipe sounds delicious.  I usually just mix in some worchestershire sauce & dried onion soup mix into the ground beef.

[Laura1427]

My 2 year old will tear up any kind of burger you give him. My 1 year old daughter on the other hand....would rather eat broccoli. Lol. I love the black bean and corn salad. It sounds really delicious!

[MomX3ThatsMe]

 That both looks and sounds delicious!  We will have to try that out!

[Jerichos_Mommy]

I do bbq sauce

[abernathyvanna]

OMG! THAT SOUNDS GREAT! 

[bether89]

I like to grill my burgers with BBQ sauce.

[iam4you2]

I would try the bean thing. 

[Madelaine]

Sounds good!

[sodapple]

 i use garlic, some chopped onions and sometimes tomatoes.

[Kainalu55]

i like burgers