Black Bean Burgers
You can sauté these in advance and refrigerate for up to four days or freeze for up to a month. Heat uncovered in a 350˚F oven to rewarm.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 ¾ cup cooked black beans (start with ¾ cup dry)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil plus more for sautéing the burgers
• 1 cup diced onion
• Salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup bean cooking liquid or water
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seed powder, plus more for coating / can also use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead of powder or a gluten-free flour.
Instructions
• Dry toast the sunflower seeds in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until they color and start to pop, about 3 minutes. In a spice grinder or food processor, finely grind the sunflower seeds. Set aside.
• Warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt and sauté 7 to 10 minutes until softened.
• Add the garlic, cumin, chile powder, and oregano; and sauté another minute. Add 1/3 of the beans with 1/3 cup water (or bean cooking liquid if you have cooked them fresh), mashing the beans with a potato masher or fork. When the liquid is absorbed, continue with another third of both the beans and 1/3 cup water. Continue mashing until most of the beans are broken up and the mixture is chunky. Do this 1 last time with the last 1/3 of the beans and the last 1/3 cup of the water. Cook, stirring constantly at this point until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are very thick but not completely dry.
• Transfer the beans to a medium bowl to cool until handleable, about 15 minutes. Stir in the sunflower seeds and 1/4 cup of the pumpkin seed powder. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Spread a layer of pumpkin seed powder on a small plate. Form the bean mix into a log about 12 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wider. Slice the log into 12 small patties.
• Dredge each patty in the pumpkin seed powder.
• Sauté the burgers; Warm a tablespoon oil in a medium non-stick skillet. Add the patties and sauté in batches until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Add more oil if necessary, just enough to have a thin film. Serve hot.
