VEGAN Black Bean Burger

This was my first attempt at a vegan burger.  It was complete success.

This was a true test!  We were invited to an impromptu BBQ at a friends place and I KNEW there would be slim to no options for me, period.  AND I didn't want to just eat a cold thrown together salad or plain sad veggie platter....

I wanted to lay into a burger just like my carnivorous friends were about too. 
So, I adapted this recipe from Chef Chloe and I LOVE IT!!!

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

Olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic

15oz black beans

1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced (about ½ cup)

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup Gluten-free flour (or bread crumbs)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup water

Directions

 In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onions and let cook until tender and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions to a large bowl.

Add beans, carrots, garlic, cornmeal, flour (or breadcrumbs), chili powder, salt, cilantro, and water to the bowl of onions. Use a large spoon or your hands to mash it all together. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time.
Using your hands, form the bean mixture into patties, to match the size of the buns.
Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat, and pan-fry patties about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crisp. Add more oil to the skillet as needed. Drain patties on paper towels.
Makes: 4 medium sized burgers.

I sauteed the carrots and the garlic to soften before adding them to the mixture

once you add the black beans the mixture comes right together and...

I thought it would be a little stickier, but it wasn't and ended up being quite easy to handle

Let me know if decide to try them.  Most likely you have most of these ingredients in your pantry.  Go for it!!  Here in Brooklyn our Farmer's market has a bakery that brings fresh baked goods and they sell nice vegan buns!! Tastey!!