Smoky Black Bean Burgers

We have plenty of beans in our pantry so I wanted to make an open-faced sandwich with some of the bread we picked up from a local bakery that is doing non-contact pick-up orders. We love to support local restaurants and have been trying to continue to support local places as much as we can. In addition to this loaf of whole wheat bread, Dave ordered some sourdough bread, focaccia, and three kinds of cookies. The thickly cut wheat bread was a great base for this smoky black bean burger. Since this recipe made six regular-sized patties we served it two ways -- one was topped with cheese and any burger toppings (pickles and spicy mustard pictured here) and the other was topped with salsa and sour cream which was also an excellent choice.

Recipe from Simple Veganista.

Ingredients: 

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 small onion, chopped

-1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice*

-2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed

-1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

-1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

-1 teaspoon garlic powder

-3/4 teaspoon oregano
-3/4 teaspoon cumin

-1/2 teaspoon salt

Glaze

-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

-1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

-1 teaspoon soy sauce

-1 teaspoon ketchup

-1 teaspoon hot sauce

For Serving
-Bread of choice or a bun
-Cheese of choice
-Burger toppings -- ketchup, mustard, lettuce, pickles, salsa, sour cream

*I used 1 1/2 cups from a microwavable package of brown rice and didn't microwave it first.

In a small skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until the onion is golden brown. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly while you prepare the glaze.

In a small bowl combine the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, ketchup, and hot sauce. Taste and adjust according to your taste.

To make the burgers use a food processor to combine the onions, brown rice, black beans, panko bread crumbs and herbs/spices. Pulse for 5-6 seconds at a time until about half other mixture is combined. You still want there to be some black beans and onions in the mixture but you also want to be able to form patties. I ended up scooping half of the unmixed mixture into a bowl to make it a little easier to process in the food processor.

Transfer the mixture from the food processor into a bowl and use your hands to fully combine. Form 6 burger patties by dividing the mixture into six balls and then flattening each into a patty about 3/4 inch thick. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with lightly greased foil and add as many burgers as you'd like. Bake for 12 minutes and then gently flip the burger patties. Brush the sides and the edges of the burger patties with the glaze and bake for another 12 minutes. If you plan to add cheese to your burger, add it and bake for another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.

Serve with desired toppings!