black bean burgers extraordinaire

if you're going to have a barbecue, you might as well go all out. in addition to mini mountains of grilled veggies and tofu, i made these burgers which were only slightly more manageable than they appear. served on whole wheat buns and topped with habañero cheddar, grilled orange pepper, sliced avocado, tomato, and fresh cilantro leaves, these burgers are packed with protein and aren't messin around...

black bean burger patties:

1 (30 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can of corn (about 7 oz)
1 green bell pepper, cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
1 jalepeno pepper, seeds removed and cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
couple handfuls cilantro (apx 1/2 cup)
juice of half a lime
1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges
7 cloves garlic, peeled
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chili flakes
2 tablespoons ground paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tablespoon honey

in a large bowl, mash the beans.
combine peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, honey, and lime in a food processor and blend well.
stir the processed mixture into beans and add the corn.
in a smaller bowl, mix eggs with the spices.  when blended well, add to bean mixture, along with the bread crumbs and salt.
once all the ingredients are combined, oil a baking sheet and preheat your oven to 375 F.
if forming larger burgers, the recipe will yield about 8 patties, for smaller burgers it will yield closer to 12. when patties are formed, coat both the tops and bottoms with oil and sprinkle with salt.
cook for 10 minutes on each side, 8 for smaller burgers. at this point the burgers should be thoroughly cooked, but i also like to throw them on a grill or broil them for 3-4 minutes each side for added color and texture.
they are also great topped with marinated portabellas or other kinds of cheese, and would pair excellently with sweet potato fries.

yum-ma!