Not-So-Krabby Patties

Okay, let's talk about veggie burgers for a sec. Veggie burgers can be delicious and flavorful and full of nice things like beans and grains, or they can be horrendous processed little frisbees that are dry and crumby and blerhgh. Since we have a solid month of summer and grilling left this year, do your mouth a favor - skip the cardboard crap and try out these amazing Black Bean Burgers instead!

I'm actually surprised that we managed to capture photographic evidence of this nomtastic burger, because I  inhaled it within 5 minutes flat. It's super flavorful, and leaving half of the black beans whole and coating the outside of the patty with quinoa gives it a really great texture. The recipe looks a little complicated, but it's actually much easier than I expected - I'm going to make a big batch of these soon and freeze them, so that I have a quick and tasty meal on hand for busy weeknights. Or just so I can do this after my next long run:

Black Bean Burgers

adapted from the always incredible Love & Lemons

Makes 4 patties

½ onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 

¼ cup cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
¼ cup grated carrot

1 tablespoon steak sauce

2 tablespoons Sriracha (for a more mellow burger, substitute with 1 tablespoon ketchup and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar)

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon mustard
¾ cup cooked quinoa
olive oil, to coat your pan and drizzle over the patties

salt and pepper, to taste

Toss the onion and garlic, along with a little bit of olive oil, into a pan set over medium heat. Cook these up until the onions are translucent and everything smells nice and garlicky. Add 1/2 cup of the black beans, the cashews, the grated carrots, and all your sauces and spices into the pan as well, and saute for about 3 minutes, until everything is heated through and the beans are getting pretty soft. 

Turn off the heat and let this mixture cool for a few minutes. In the meantime, grab a bowl and mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of black beans and 1/2 cup of the cooked quinoa. Take the rest of the quinoa and spread it out over a small plate - you'll need this for the last step!

Throw all the deliciousness you've cooked up in the saucepan into a blender or food processor. Whip it around until it comes together into a big mushy ball, stopping to scrape down the sides of your blender a couple of times to catch those errant beans. The mixture doesn't have to be completely smooth, but it should be fairly blended up and unappealing at this point (hence the lack of photos).

Dump the contents of your blender into the bowl of black beans and quinoa, and gently fold until everything is evenly distributed. Feel free to taste test the mixture and add salt and pepper as needed. Now for the fun part! Divide the patty mixture into four little balls, then roll each ball around in the plate of quinoa you set aside earlier. Once it's completely coated, smoosh it down with your hands to form a patty and set it on a plate. When you're done with all four patties, stick the plate into the fridge for half an hour to let everything cool down and set up. In the meantime, you can clean up and prep your burger fixings!

Preheat your oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Gently slide your patties onto the sheet and stick them in the oven for about 10 minutes. Then take them out, carefully flip them, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the top of the patties feel dry and non-squishy. Toast your buns, slather on the ketchup and mustard, and enjoy!