My mouth is watering just writing about this recipe. Before I decided to go vegan, one of my favorite meals was hamburgers. When I eliminated animal products from my diet though, I really thought burgers would be a thing of the past on our menu.

Boy, was I wrong. There are several recipes for veggie burgers out there and you can buy frozen ones at some stores as well. But my favorite hamburger substitute is, without a doubt, the black bean burger.

Black beans are packed with fiber and lots of protein, so they are really healthy for you. That’s great, but I like them because they taste good. Vegan or not, this is a delicious meal. If you are looking for your children to eat healthier, try black bean burgers instead of hamburgers or turkey burgers.

This is another favorite for our kids. They actually beg for them. To keep the family happy, we try to incorporate black bean burgers in the menu at least once every 3 weeks. Cook these up with French fries or better yet, sweet potato fries and you can’t go wrong.

I dress mine up on a toasted bun with my favorite condiments of ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and veganese. By the way, veganese is basically mayonnaise without eggs or dairy. You can cook these on the stove or griddle. You may want to double the recipe, because after you eat one, you will probably want another. Happy New Year everyone!

Recipe makes 6 small or 4 large patties.

½ of a diced yellow onion.

1 can of black beans drained and rinsed.

½ cup of whole wheat flour.

2 slices of whole wheat bread crumbled into small pieces.

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of onion powder

Dash of salt and pepper

Saute the onions with a tablespoon of water until they are soft. Then in a large bowl, mash the beans until they are smooth. Add the sauted onions and the rest of the ingredients, adding the flour a few tablespoons at a time. We found it is easier to mix with your hands. Then you form them into patties. When you fry them, use a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Cook patties until they are golden brown. It should take about 10 minutes. Then dress them up on whole wheat buns just like you would a hamburger and enjoy.

Jeff Peterson anchors the 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. news on WGME-TV and is a vegan.