Spicy Black Bean Burgers

My husband and I love these. I serve them on homemade whole wheat buns, topped with some cilantro mayonnaise. I use cooked dried beans, but a can of beans works equally well. Using the dried beans I can make these for less than $0.25 each! Often I triple this recipe and freeze burgers for future use.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 burgers

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon canola oil
• 2  cups black beans, cooked (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
• 1  egg, beaten
• 1⁄2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1⁄4 cup red onion, diced
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 tablespoon  chili paste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2  tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 2  tablespoons canola oil

Directions

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the red onion and garlic to the pan and saute until softened, about 8 minutes and then set aside to cool for a few minutes.
3. Combine beans, egg, oats, onion, mixture, chili paste, salt, pepper and cilantro and thoroughly mix and mash until pretty homogeneous, leaving a few whole beans.
4. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties.
5. Refrigerate patties for half an hour. (This step is not completely necessary but I find it helps hold the burgers together while cooking.).
6. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
7. Place burgers carefully into the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan.
8. After 4 minutes, flip and cook another 4 minutes. They should feel firm to the touch when finished.
9. Note: To freeze for later use, after shaping flash freeze and then wrap in plastic wrap. Place wrapped burgers into freezer bag and squeeze out excess air. To cook from frozen, simply heat frozen burgers over medium-high heat on the stove-top, cooking until done.