In honor of July 4th, we present to you a fresher & healthier alternative to a traditional meat burger. Because, who doesn't love black beans & onions?
Yields: 4 burgers
Prep Time: 30-40 min
Cook Time: 30-40 min
Burgers
½ cup unsalted pumpkin seeds from the store
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
One 15 oz can of black turtle beans, rinsed & drained
⅔ cup water
¾ cup bread crumbs
Cilantro & Avocado Sauce
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 green bell pepper. Seeded and cut into cubes
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
Salt
¼ cup water
2 tbs lime juice
1 jalapeno, stemmed & seeded
½ ripe avocado
1 cup fresh cilantro
4 large tortillas or buns (both optional)
1 head of romaine lettuce, shredded, or halved
Process
Add olive oil into a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, ½ tsp salt, and saute until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, chile, cumin, and oregano. Saute for an additional minute.
Add ⅓ of the beans and ⅓ cup of water and mash the beans. When the liquid is absorbed, continue with another third of the beans. Continue mashing until most of the beans are broken up and the mixture is chunky.
Stir in the last third of the beans and mash them lightly.
Cook the beans and onion mixture together, stirring constantly, until the liquid is absorbed and then beans are very thick and mostly dry. It’s fine if not all the beans are mashed thoroughly.
Transfer the beans to a medium bowl and let them cool for about 15 minutes. Then stir in the ground pumpkin seeds and ¼ cup of the bread crumbs. Taste the mixture and add a pinch more salt if needed.
Spread the remaining ½ cup bread crumbs on a place. Using a spoon or your hands drop one fourth of the bean mixture onto the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the top of the beans with the bread crumbs to make the burger easy to handle. Form it into a patty.
Place the burger on a clean plate, and repeat with the remaining mixture. Refrigerate the burgers for 30 minutes.
Sauce
Warm olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the green peppers and saute until softened. Add the scallions and saute for 1 more minute. Transfer the mixture to a blender and add ¾ tsp of salt, water, lime juice, jalapeno, avocado and cilantro. Blend until smooth. Add salt as needed.
Warm 1 tbs of olive oil in another medium skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the patties. Lower the heat and saute until golden, 2-3 minutes one each side.
Warm the tortillas (or buns), spread the avocado sauce on top, add the lettuce and fold over the burgers.
Serve warm & enjoy!