Black Bean Burgers

Okay, so these had great flavor and were not dry at all. Both Jared and I agreed that they were much better than those frozen ones you buy, Melly. Anyway, the only thing that was missing was salt. When I make these again, I will definitely triple the salt, which is saying a lot, because I am famous for under-salting almost everything I make (by choice). Without extra salt, I would give them a 6. With extra salt, I would give them an 8. Jared also gave them these ratings. I served them with garlic herb oven fries and put the burgers on whole wheat sandwich thins and everything tasted really really good. I will definitely make these again.

It says this yields 6 servings, but I actually got 8 burgers out of it. Oh, and I used 3/4 onion instead of a shallot since shallots are pricey. 

Black Bean Burgers

Yield: 6 burgers

Ingredients

¾ cup panko
3 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 shallot, minced

• Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Combine the panko with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and mix with a fork to blend.  Add the mixture to the skillet and toast the panko, stirring frequently, until light golden brown.  Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Place 2½ cups of the beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, 1 tablespoon of the oil, cumin, salt and cayenne.  Whisk to blend.  Add the egg mixture, toasted panko, the remaining ½ cup beans, bell pepper, cilantro and shallot to the bowl with the mashed beans.  Stir together until evenly combined.
• Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about ½ cup each.  Lightly pack into 1-inch thick patties.  (At this point the patties can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.)  Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8-10 minutes total.  Transfer the cooked burgers to a plate, tent with foil, and repeat with the remaining oil and bean patties.  Serve warm.

For low-carb option, use sandwich thins or low-carb buns in  place of regular buns. Substitute other vegetable for potato fries.