What's Cookin' Wednesday

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Think a veggie can't grill out with burgers and stuff? Wrong!! And, I hate to break it to you, but our burgers are better. (Total opinion, but... whatever.) 

Boyfriend will eat anything and everything with black beans in it. He'd probably eat them every day if I'd let him. He's obsessed with trying black bean burgers at restaurants. Because they're just so damn good. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but we're giant Mexican fans. I, personally, would eat Mexican all the time. I think being born on the border (San Diego), and my first meal being Mexican really had an effect on my little taste buds. I'm perfectly ok with it. So, these burgers definitely have a bit of a Mexican flare!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. quinoa

1 can black beans

1 egg

1/2 c. panko crumbs

3/4 c. corn

1/8 tsp. hot sauce (I use Tapatio)

2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Sprinkle of cayenne if you like it spicy.

How to:

Bring water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is all absorbed. While that's going on, rinse beans and dump into a large bowl. Use a potato masher and mash the beans! I like to leave the beans a little chunky. Smash in the egg, using a spoon to combine well. Stir in the panko, corn, hot sauce, and spices. Once the quinoa is cooked, fold that into your bean mixture. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, then form into patties. I usually get 5 patties out of this recipe. 

For the grill: Cover grate with foil and poke holes throughout it. Cook the patties for about 10 minutes on each side.

For the oven: Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet well. Bake patties for 20 minutes, flipping them over half way through.

For the stove top: Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Fry the patties until crispy on each side, approximately 5 minutes each side. I usually pat the oil off when they're done.

Serve immediately with your choice of toppings!

We paired ours with some grilled cauliflower!!! So amazingly good. I would totally skip the burger and only eat cauliflower.

One side has pesto and a sprinkle of parmesan. The other side just has olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Amazing.

Have you tried black bean burgers!? Or do you have another favorite veggie burger? Let me know in the comments below! (: