Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Wow. This is the tastiest veggie burger I have ever had. By far. Generally, I feel neutral about veggie burgers. I will eat them if that’s what’s available, but I would never choose one over a hamburger (at least not for reasons of taste). This black bean burger has completely changed my mind. It turns out a little crispy on the outside and softer on the inside. The blend of flavors is perfect. I love cumin, and it plays a key role in the flavors here. The jalapeno and sriracha give the burger a spicy kick, while the cool, buttery avocado slices balance them out. I love black beans as a burger base and the corn adds a tiny bit of sweetness as well. The whole combination is nothing short of magical. The patty itself is so good I had one for a snack later by itself and was overjoyed.

I found this recipe on Eat, Live Run (great blog, follow it!) and the only major change I made was to use an egg as the binding agent rather than ground flax. I’m not a vegan, so I just don’t have ingredients like that on hand. If you would prefer to use flax, follow the link below to the original recipe for vegan instructions.

Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Source: slightly adapted from Eat, Live, Run

Ingredients:
1 jalapeno pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 (15 oz) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed, separated
2 t cumin
1 ¼ t salt
½ c panko bread crumbs (I used Ian’s Whole Wheat Panko Crumbs)
2 T tomato sauce (it doesn’t really matter much what kind…I used an open jar of pasta sauce I had in my fridge)
½ c corn (fresh, frozen or canned as long as it’s drained/defrosted)
1-2 eggs (I used one to replace the flax in the recipe, but my burgers were fairly fragile when flipped. You may want to try using two to better bind the burgers. It does not change the P+ value per burger.)
4 t extra virgin olive oil
¾ of an avocado
3 t sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
6 whole wheat sandwich rolls (I used Weight Watchers brand which are 3 P+ per roll)

Directions:
1.    Cut open the jalapeno and remove the seeds. Chop and place in a food processor with the garlic cloves. Pulse until finely chopped. Add one can of drained & rinsed black beans to the food processor and pulse to mix. Add the cumin and salt and continue to run food processor until a chunky paste forms.
2.    Pour the black bean mixture from the food processor into a large mixing bowl. Add the bread crumbs, tomato sauce, corn and eggs. Stir together to combine. Add the remaining can of drained & rinsed black beans. Stir to combine. Form mixture into 6 patties.
3.    Bring 2 teaspoons of oil to medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add three of the patties to the skillet and cook on each side 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Use a large spatula to flip; patties are fragile. Repeat with remaining patties.
4.    Place each patty on a bun and top with 1/8 of an avocado (sliced) and ½ teaspoon of sriracha. Enjoy!

Yields 6 burgers. Weight Watchers Points Plus: 9 per burger (includes 1/8 of an avocado, ½ t of sriracha and 1 WW brand sandwich roll). Each patty on its own is 5 P+.