Black Bean Burgers

Happy Monday! Let's get right to the point. Sometimes it's hard to make a black bean burger that not only holds up well, but passes the test of a meat eater. In my opinion, in vegetarian recipes, it's all about "beefing up" the flavor to make it just as good, (most of the time better!) than recipes with meat. This black bean burger passes that test! They aren't bland at all, and they hold up very well!

The black bean burger recipe I'm sharing today is the basics of a black bean burger. Vegetarian burgers are nice because you can really add just about anything you want. Next time I make this one, I want to try adding grated carrots, BBQ sauce, and a few other herbs. Bean burgers are sometimes a little hard to work with when it comes to shaping them into patties and the patties actually holding up. That's where the bread crumbs and eggs come in. Of course, you can substitute the eggs for a flax egg (flax seed and water mixture) to make them vegan.

This recipe is perfect if you want to freeze the burgers for later on. All you do is wrap each uncooked patty individually in foil and pop them in a freezer bag. And, of course, you can cook them immediately!

Black Bean Burgers
Author: Herbivore Haven
Makes: 8 patties

Ingredients:

• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs*
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 eggs (or flax eggs)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• oil for cooking

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mash the rinsed and drained black beans with a fork. Add to the bowl the cumin, green onions, garlic, salt, black pepper, salt, tablespoon of oil, eggs, cayenne pepper and cilantro. Mix together all ingredients until the mixture is creamy with just a few small pieces.
2. Stir in the bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky. You may need to add just over 1 1/2 cup to get the sticky consistency. The mixture should stick to the back of the spoon. *For the bread crumbs, I used stale bread crumbles.
3. Wet hands and form patties. You should get about 8 patties out of the mixture.

To freeze: Wrap each patty individually with parchment paper and place on a cookie sheet. Set the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about an hour. After doing so, place the patties in a freezer bag, and place in the freezer. Leave the cooking instructions close by!

To cook: Place a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. If the patties are fresh, fry each patty for 3-4 minutes per side. If the patties are frozen, fry each patty for 6-8 minutes per side. Top with fresh vegetables and mayonnaise and enjoy!