Today, I am excited to be bringing you all a recipe for Black Bean Burgers. What I am even more excited about is that I am using black bean flour ground in my WonderMill to make them!
I have made these black bean burgers a couple of times. The recipe that I am sharing with you today is seasoned with more of a “southwest” seasoning blend. The second time I made them I used a more traditional hamburger/steak seasoning blend. Both turned out wonderful! I ate mine with a side spinach salad, but some of my kids ate them on buns just like hamburgers and really enjoyed them. Either way, have fun using your freshly milled flour to make a great meal that your whole family will enjoy!
Black Bean Burgers
2 c black bean flour + 1 c hot water {2 – 16 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed}
1 green bell pepper, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 t salt
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin powder
freshly ground black pepper – to taste
1 T hot sauce
2 t dried cilantro {or throw some fresh in there}
1 t dried parsley {or throw some fresh in there}
1 c breadcrumbs {or ground oats}
*olive oil for skillet – if frying them
To make black bean flour rinse beans in a colander well to get any dirt and debris off. Dry on a towel-lined flat tray. After a while, when most of the water is absorbed into the towel, remove damp towel and place beans on just the tray to finish drying. Make sure they are completely dry before trying to grind {I let mine sit overnight}.
On the “course” setting of the WonderMill, turn the power switch on, and pour black beans into the hopper. After grinding has stopped, wait five seconds before turning the machine off. Make sure the motor stops completely before removing the flour canister.
Add 2 c of flour to large bowl and mix with 1 c of hot water until a thick paste is formed {This is where you would mash canned beans if using}.
Chop onion, green pepper and garlic and saute in a skillet until soft and starting to turn golden. {If you want to, you could skip this cooking in the skillet step. I thought the burgers would have a deeper flavor if I cooked the veggies a little first.}
Mix salt, chili powder, cumin and black pepper in a small bowl. Add to black bean mixture.
Add hot sauce and eggs.
Add cilantro and parsley.
Add sautéed onions, green pepper, and garlic. Mix everything well.
Last add your breadcrumbs {or ground oats}. I used oats ground in a blender because I didn’t have breadcrumbs. Mix well…
If it looks likes it is too dry, add a about a tablespoon of liquid at a time. Mine held together alright without any extra liquid. I really didn’t have anything to compare it to since I had never made these before.
I used an ice cream scoop to make the patties even in size. It also helped keep my hands clean.
In a hot, oiled skillet add a scoop of the mixture and then smush flat with a spatula. {I placed the bottom side of the spatula in a part of the skillet that already had oil in it to accomplish this.} Some of my patties still stuck a little bit to the spatula after flattening them, so I just used a butter knife to separate them. It seemed to work out alright…
Cook about 2-3 minutes per side {or until browned on one side} and then flip. This made exact 10 patties for me when I used the ice cream scoop, but depending on how big you made them I would say plan on the recipe making 8-10 patties. {If grilling grill on a piece of foil 8 minutes/side. If baking, bake in a 350 degree oven, on a slightly greased sheet 10 minutes/side.}
Like I said earlier, I ate mine with a spinach salad {topped with ranch and salsa}. It was yummy! My daughter ate hers just like a hamburger…bun, ketchup, mustard, pickle and all! She said it tasted like a hamburger. I am not quite sure about it tasting just like a hamburger…because really there is nothing like a good hamburger, but I was very happy with it as a black bean burger and I now have a recipe to add to my “using freshly ground flour collection”! Next time I might try adding some cooked quinoa to the mix as well…to step it up a notch! That is for a different day, though. Enjoy!
