Spicy Black bean burger

I love this recipe because it is easy to make and I created it out of ingredients I already had in my kitchen. I also love that this recipe makes 5 burgers so I can have a pre-prepared, easy, to-go lunch option throughout the busy week. I will enjoy these over a bed of steamed greens or as an open-faced sandwich on my favorite gluten-free bread. Throw some avocado, crisp red bell pepper and red onion on either choice and you're golden!


Spicy Black Bean Burger
by Bailey West
makes 5 burgers

2 cups black beans, mashed
1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup rolled oats (1/4 cup processed into flour)
2 large white mushrooms, finely chopped
2 heaping T nutritional yeast flakes
1 chia egg*
2 t Thai Red Curry seasoning**
1 t turmeric
1 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t Bragg's liquid aminos



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash up the beans into a paste-like consistency. Mix up your chia egg and set aside. Add in sunflower seeds, oats and mushrooms and combine well. Next add nutritional yeast plus the rest of the seasonings. Lastly, add your chia egg and stir well. Your mixture should be pretty thick and sticky at this point, but easy to stir. Form into patties and place on a baking sheet. I used parchment paper as a precaution, but I don't believe it was necessary. Bake for 20 minutes on one side, then flip your burgers and cook for another 15 minutes. Enjoy these right away or let cool and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator to enjoy throughout the week!

* To make a chia egg, grind 1 T chia seeds into a meal and combine with 2 T water. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
**This is a seasoning I happened to have on hand. If you want to find a comparable alternative, it has: black pepper, paprika, cumin seed, onion, garlic, coriander, lemongrass, cilantro, sea salt, chili flakes and ginger.

These burgers have a fantastic nutritional profile. Each one has 214 calories, 28 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber and 12 g protein. That means 18 g net carbohydrates per burger.