April 2, 2013 | 1 Comment

Gluten-Free Black Bean Burger

Black bean burgers used to be my absolute favorite thing to eat out at restaurants. Most burger joints in Bloomington, IN (where I live) are very accommodating to vegetarians, and it was honestly difficult to pick the best black bean burger in town. Unfortunately, since I’ve been gluten-free, I’ve been unable to indulge, since most of the veggie burgers I come across contain flour or breadcrumbs. I miss this food dearly, so FINALLY, after waiting way too long, I made them myself.

Having never done this before, I used an existing recipe (here), and to be honest, I didn’t like it. The onion was way too overpowering, and it was otherwise a little too herbacious for what I was looking for. I only made 1 burger from the mix the first time, and then I added a ton of stuff to the existing mix to make it better. And with that updated mixture, I made Spicy Black Bean Meatballs, which turned out phenomenal! That updated mixture is the recipe that I have below…I would never share a bad one (on purpose) 🙂

However, I will be experimenting and coming up with my own recipe for black bean burgers in the coming weeks, and it will knock your socks off! I’m hoping that it far outshines this one.

Ingredients

1/2 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
4 regular cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp olive oil (only if mixture seems too dry)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-low heat.In a food processor, pulse onion and garlic until finely chopped. Add 2 cans black beans, cilantro, parsley, egg, red pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and pulse to combine.Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining cans of black beans and the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and mix until well combined.Reserve 1/3 of the black bean mixture for another recipe (like my black bean meatballs!). Divide remaining mixture into 4 portions and form into patties. Place on hot oiled grill over medium-low heat and cook about 6 minutes a side or until heated through. I also grilled some peppers at the same time…no marinade, just a teeny bit of olive oil wiped on the grill pan.

Top with lettuce, tomato, grilled peppers, and spicy vegan aioli (Veganaise, fresh minced garlic, lemon juice, cayenne pepper). Pair with some bistro fries and a gluten-free beer!