Hamburger Sliders

Today's challenge was to make something for dinner without spending more than $15 at the grocery store. I was inspired by watching Melissa d'Arabian's show on Food Network this morning called "Ten Dollar Dinners".

I went to the FN website and explored many of her recipes and decided on this one:

Beef and Black Bean Sliders

I had the ground chuck (poor Chuck!) in the freezer so I was already a few dollars up on my budget!  I went to the store and purchased some Bush's Black Beans in a can, a bag of shredded coleslaw, some Pepperidge Farm slider buns, Sargento's thin sliced provolone cheese and some generic brand frozen french fries.

I  put the french fries on right away as I knew they would take longer than the sliders.  However I did not send those generic fries into the oven completely naked....I sprinkled them generously with garlic powder and paprika.  Into the oven they were sent!

I did not follow the recipe exactly (You are not surprised, are you?). I defrosted my hamburger and put it into a large bowl.  I opened the black beans and rinsed them well.  Into a small bowl I put 1/2 cup of the beans with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of garlic powder.  I smashed them all together until they were a smooth paste using a fork.  Into the ground chuck (poor Chuck!) went the black bean mixture and I mixed well.  I formed the small burgers and put them onto a plate to rest.

There was no propane for the grill so this meant I had to fry my burgers. I rubbed my large skillet with some olive oil and heated it until it was good and hot.  I used the back of a large spoon and smeared the tops of the burgers with some dijon mustard.  Be careful putting them into the hot pan as you need to put them mustard side down and they sputter a little bit. After they go down in the pan, rub the top with some more mustard and let them cook at least a few minutes before flipping.

While the sliders were frying,  I made the dressing for the coleslaw.  I have never really made my own before so this was quite the new try.  Here is the dressing I made for my slaw:

(1) cup of Duke's Mayo (is there any other? I don't think so!)
(2) tablespoons of milk
(6) tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
onion powder
Soul Seasoning
Lemon Juice

Combine all the above.  The lemon juice is added to taste...I think I added about a tablespoon or so. I was tangy and tart.  Everyone seemed to like it.

With the burgers and fries done, we sat down to eat.  The black beans added a different texture to the hamburgers.  They were definitely moist, but quite frankly, did not hold together too well when fried. I am not sure if grilling them would have made a difference. Other than that, they were delicious.

Overall, I only spent $13 dollars at the grocery store and I think dinner turned out well.  It was eating within budget without tasting like budget food.  I consider that a success.