I was sitting at my desk one evening last week, pondering what quick meal I might be able to throw together from simple ingredients from the bodega that I could grab on my way to the subway,  when I suddenly became nostalgic for black bean veggie burgers. Which *spoiler alert* is not what this post is about.

For me, black bean veggie burgers are sort of an old friend. They were there for me during my first years in New York City. They waited patiently in the freezer for me to come home after long days at work, and even longer evenings at grad school. They were never fussy and were impossible to mess up. They didn’t judge me for eating every single meal standing at the kitchen counter because I lacked both the necessary table and requisite chair in my tiny Upper West Side apartment.

I decided that I could probably wing it making my own fresh version of black bean burgers, dressed up with some Tex-Mex flair. I grabbed the ingredients that I thought would work (including some organic hamburger buns that were made without corn syrup – score!) in ten minutes flat and hurried home to get started on this incredibly easy dinner.

I began by chopping up veggies for pico de gallo. I paused to call Brian and ask him to pick up tortilla chips (because I had forgotten them, natch). I went to the closet to get the can of black beans to combine with some lovely cilantro that I had just chopped, and that’s when I discovered…

I had bought the wrong beans!

Being my distracted self, I hadn’t looked carefully enough at what I had grabbed off the store shelf. Kidney beans. Big, red, and yummy, but just not right for this recipe – too much mush and not enough bean.

I had missed the window of opportunity to call for a second emergency pickup. And then I noticed the chickpeas sitting there, and I thought “Falafel? Tex-Mex burger? Sure, why not!

The combination of chopped cilantro, cayenne pepper, cumin and chickpeas was exactly that – a kicked up falafel patty. There was only one problem – I forgot a very important step in the falafel-making process when I neglected to add something dry (I usually use matzos meal) to hold the darned things together. They were easy to mold for cooking in the pan, but I had to keep shaping them with the spatula.

When I dressed them with the toppings and a generous glug of hot sauce, they looked pristine. But as soon we took the first bite, that aesthetic unraveled. I would have taken a picture to show you, but my hands were full just trying to hold it together as it slid away. We ate half of it by mushing the bun together at the top and cupping the bottom with our hands, and then we scooped the other half off the plate with chips like a dip. It was a delicious mess that I will definitely make again. 

Tex-Mex Falafel Sloppy Joes

14 oz cooked chickpeas, drained

a couple handfuls chopped cilantro

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon jalapeño, minced

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cumin

salt and fresh ground pepper

4 split hamburger rolls, toasted

olive oil

optional:

sour cream

avacado slices

hot sauce

Step 1: Make pico de gallo by chopping tomatoes, onions and one handful of cilantro. Combine these ingredients in a bowl with the rice wine vinegar and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2: Place chickpeas, cayenne, cumin, and the remaining handful of cilantro in a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, until the chickpeas are all smashed but not uniform and cilantro and spices are fully integrated. Remove the mixture from the food processor and form into tight patties.

Step 3: Set a non-stick pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot (a drop of water sizzles when dropped in the pan) gently place the patties into the pan, and mold them back into shape with the spatula. After about 3 minutes, GENTLY turn the patties, which will have started to brown. Do any necessary reshaping with the spatula and allow them to cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and gently place the patties on top of the bottom half of the rolls.

Step 4: Top with pico de gallo and any additional toppings and then cover with the other half of the roll. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, for scooping the parts that fall onto the plate.