Black Bean Burgers

Makes about 6 patties

• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz can any kind of bean, rinsed and drained
• Enough veggies to match the volume of the beans
• Ground oatmeal, 1/2 to 1 cup
• 4 tablespoons cumin
• 4 (or more!) tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
• Salt/pepper to taste

This is my aunt's recipe. Like all of her recipes, it's very customizable to suit your taste.

To start with, choose your beans. You may choose all black beans if you wish. I like a 50/50 mix of black beans and kidney beans.

Choose your veggies, also according to your taste. Shred or finely chop them. Once chopped the veggies should match the volume of the beans. I like to use roughly equal amounts of broccoli, onion, and shredded carrot.

The oatmeal is your binder. You will need to experiment with the amount of oatmeal you prefer. Less oatmeal will mean a more crumbly burger; more can can dry it out.

The flax and chia seeds are not included as binders. They are added for nutrition. The more you include, the more it will alter the taste of the recipe, so choose according to your preference. You can leave them out entirely if you want.

I am practically immune to garlic's powers since I add tons of it to everything. You may want to take my garlic suggestion as a very loose suggestion.

1. Rinse and drain the beans, set aside.
2. Sautee your veggies in your favorite oil. I prefer coconut.
3. Combine the beans, veggies, oatmeal, spices and seasonings, flax seed, and chia seeds in a blender or food processor. Blend into a chunky puree.
4. Oil and heat pan.
5. Form mixture into patties by hand.
6. Fry patties in oil over medium heat, turning once, until browned and heated throughout.

Serve on a bun, toasted if you like. I like to top it with ketchup, thinly sliced onion, romaine lettuce, and avocado slices (pictured, above). Sliced tomato would probably be good for those who like that kind of thing (I will eat almost any tomato product that isn't an actual tomato). Salsa makes a good topping as well in place of the ketchup. You can also skip the bun and serve it wrapped in a big lettuce leaf. To make a better lettuce wrap, you can match the shape and size of the patties to suit your lettuce leaf, or chop or crumble the patties into a cupped lettuce leaf.

This recipe goes great served with any kind of potato.

Wine pairing

Reds: Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel
Whites: Grüner Veltliner, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc

Of these pairings, I've only tried Pinot Grigio. I think it goes great, but to be fair, Pinot Grigio is one of my favorites and I pair it with everything. I've also liked black bean burgers with White Zinfandel (which is semi-obedient to the suggested pairing). I am just not a fan of reds. Fun fact: White Zinfandel and Pinot Grigio are both made with red grapes. Also goes great with beer, or the classic non-alcoholic drink: water.

A recipe update from the recipe creator: "I would like to add some points to this recipe! The veggies are chopped and also add Zukes and fresh garlic, spinach, cilantro!! I also just use my hands and mush all the beans and veggies together. The blender would be too much, just want everything to bind together before frying in pan."