Essential Black Bean Burgers

Here’s a classic protein-rich black-bean burger staple. (Adapted from Thrive Energy Cookbook.)
Makes 10–12 patties

2 cups cooked (or rinsed canned) black beans
1 cup rolled oats
⅔ cup cooked quinoa
⅓ cup nutritional yeast
1 large cooking onion, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. grainy mustard
2 Tbsp. tamari sauce
3 Tbsp. sea salt
1–2 cups breadcrumbs (homemade or store-bought)

In a medium bowl, combine black beans, oats, quinoa, and nutritional yeast. Mix thoroughly with your hands. In a pan, cook onions in a bit of olive oil until translucent.   In a blender or food processor, combine onion, coriander, paprika, mustard and tamari. Blend just until mixed. Add onion mixture to bean mixture and mix well, adding salt. After mixing, adjust salt if necessary to taste. Add breadcrumbs and mix with your hands until mixture is firm to the touch and no longer sticky. You will find that the breadcrumbs and oats absorb the moisture and it will become harder to mix. Form ¾-inch-thick patties. Cook patties in a frying pan for 4 mins, flip, then another 4 mins (make sure to use avocado oil to avoid sticking and get some nice colour!).

These patties store great in the freezer! Wrap individually in saran and store in an air-tight container, then pull one out whenever you need a quick meal.

This burger has been a staple in my household for as long as I can remember, and never last longer than a week or two in the freezer. Everyone loves them! They work well served as a traditional burger or on top of a salad with sliced avocado and salsa.