Recipe: The "New Years Resolution" Black Bean Burger

Think back to a few weeks ago. January 1, 2016. How was that liver feeling? A lil’ swollen? Memory a bit fuzzy?

Don’t sweat it, you were in good company.

Hopefully, after you army-crawled your way from the bed to the fridge and procured the Gatorade, you curled up with a warm blanket and a bottle of Advil and started thinking about all the good things you’re going to eat this year.

If you’ve made some New Years resolutions about healthy eating, this recipe is for you. If you have not, this recipe is STILL for you because it is easy, hearty, protein-packed and makes for great leftovers. This Black Bean Burger is so insanely good it will make even your biggest meat lover friend go to the dark (green) side.

If your New Years was like mine, you enjoyed a nice hangover grilled cheese and binge watched some Netflix (I dual-bingied Making a Murderer and Jessica Jones). But now that the holiday indulgence urge has worn off, perhaps you can start healing your internal organs with this tasty and surprisingly healthy meal. (Or do whatever you want. I’m not your mother.)

Recipe adapted from The Sweets Life.

Black Bean Burgers with Sriracha Mayo (makes 4 medium-to-large size burgers)

What you will need:

2 15 oz cans black beans (drained, but not rinsed)
2/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (if possible, get your hands on some purple garlic from the farmers market – it is next level)
2 tsp soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt (a little more if you’re using low sodium soy sauce)
1 egg LIGHTLY beaten
1 to 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (I like Japanese Style Panko crumbs from Trader Joe’s)
cooking spray
4 burger buns
1-2 TBSP Sriracha
5 TBSP mayo
1 TBSP lime juice (optional)
avocado, arugula and sliced cucumber for burger toppings (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° F.
To a food processor, add black beans, cilantro, onion, garlic, soy sauce, black pepper and salt.
Add the lightly beaten egg. And I do mean LIGHTLY.
Add the breadcrumbs.
Pulse the mixture several times, but DO NOT overmix, or else your burgers will end up like brick hockey pucks. Use your hands to mix in the bread crumbs if they’re not fully mixed in after a few pulses. Don’t be afraid to get in there. Ladies, don’t do this right after a manicure.
Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Coat with cooking spray.
Using your hands, form the mixture into 4 burger patties. If they seem realllyyyyy moist and just aren’t staying in their intended shapes, add some more bread crumbs to bind them together.
Place burgers on the foil and bake for 8-9 minutes. Take out, flip the burgers over. Place bun halves on the foil as well. Bake for additional 3-5 minutes.
Combine mayo, Sriracha and lime juice (optional) in a bowl.
Assemble the finished burgers on the toasted buns with the mayo and whatever toppings you want! Sometimes I want to cut the carbs down, so I forego the buns, but I always keep the sriracha mayo.

If you’re cooking for 4, then done and done. If you’re cooking for 1 or 2 and have some patties left over, these freeze very well (~4 months) and also make for a great black bean wrap for tomorrow’s lunch!