Black Bean Burger

Black Bean Burger

This can be tricky so don't give up if they do not stay together the first time.  If they fall apart the first time, serve over brown rice.

1  16oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
3/4 cup quick oats or quick barley
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 to 1 finely chopped onion
1 carrot grated
1 finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup frozen spinach thawed and drained
1 egg or egg substitute or 2 egg whites
pepper to taste
1 tbsp Cumin
A few dashes hot sauce, or 1 tsp hot chili pepper, or 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
a few dashes of skim milk if it is too dry to form patties




Or for a different taste, omit hot sauce and add 1 tsp each of basil, parsley and oregano, if using these ingredients, 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped works well

Mash beans, chunky texture is great, add all ingredients, mix well unitl it starts to get sticky, form into patties.  It is best if you put the formed patties in the freezer for 10-20 minutes to help them stay together better. 

Pre-heat Grill on high heat, lower to medium and grill on sprayed aluminum foil,  turn after about 6-8 minutes, test one to see if it stays together.  You can also cook in a sprayed skillet or in the oven in a sprayed dish. 

Great with any cheese, we like Swiss or pepper jack.  Serve on whole wheat hamburger buns, a whole wheat English muffin or on a whole wheat bagel.  You can spoon salsa over patty when serving, or  ketchup and mustard is great too.

 They are very yummy once you get the hang of it.  It is best to cook them longer than you think so that the middle is not mushy and they do not fall apart. 

The key is to cook until browned on each side, chop veggies in a chopper and make patties thick and big and place in freezer or refrigerator prior to cooking.