South-western Black Bean and Rice Burgers

I’ve been having problems sleeping the past few nights, so I ended up taking a sleeping pill last night. Had a restful nights sleep, but still woke up way to early. Problem solved! I decided to make some vege burgers for my lunch, and extra’s for the freezer for a quick lunch to take to work.  I got the original recipe off of the internet (Allrecipes.com) but this is my version of it.

South-western Black Bean and Brown Rice Veggie Burger Patties Recipe

makes 4 patties (hamburger size)

• 1 - 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 egg
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1 1/2 Tbsp instant minced onion flakes
• 1 heaping Tbsp dehydrated sweet pepper, finely ground (you don’t want chunks of it in the mix)
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of:
• cumin powder
• paprika
• chili powder
• salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

With a food processor, pulse the drained black beans until they are minced but not smooth (you want some chunkiness) Transfer them to a bowl, and mix an egg with a spoon. Fold in cooked and cool rice.

Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl, then mix them into the bean/rice/egg mixture.

Dust your hands if necessary with cornstarch, and form the “burger” mix into 4 patties. Dust the patties with a bit of cornstarch to stop them from sticking to the plate.

  Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet.  Place one or two burger patties on the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat on each side. Remove when a crispy golden crust forms on both sides. Add more oil to the skillet and fry up 2 more patties at a time. Repeat till all patties are cooked. I’ve put them on a cooling rack, and when they are cold, I will transfer them, individually wrapped with plastic wrap, to the freezer.  I couldn’t wait to try one for breakfast :-)  Yummy!