Tex Mex Pinto Bean Burgers

Ugh. If I had one culinary wish it would be that I would get more natural light in my apartment to photograph meals. I do most of my cooking/creating late at night, so that doesn’t help my case. That being said, please accept my apology for these less than stellar pictorials of these yummy, basic burgers.

As often as I’ve made sweet potato, tempeh, even eggplant burgers, I don’t usually focus on simple, run-of-the-mill bean burgers. Probably because whenever I go out to eat I’m forced to scarf down a bland, black bean and rice burger-frozen, I presume. Blech.

BUT I did come across some vegan, organic, soy-free, gluten-free Sunshine burgers this past weekend that were pretty awesome. But at $5 for 3 of them, I was less than happy about the purchase. This homemade pinto bean version (which made 10 burgers) probably only cost about $5 as well. When you cook at home, you always get more bang for your buck (sorry, I hate that phrase too).

*Side note: I got up early the next morning, after writing this post and retook a few pics-big improvement!

3 1/2 cups cooked organic pinto beans

1 cup chopped tomato

1 cup frozen corn

1 small green bell pepper, chopped (about a cup)

1/2 red onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

Handful of fresh cilantro

2/3 cup whole wheat organic breadcrumbs

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cayenne pepper, minced

1 tsp flaxseed

1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for frying

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

• In a frying pan over medium heat, cook onions and cayenne pepper in olive oil for about 5 minutes
• Add corn, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 more minutes, stirring frequently, then set aside once cooked
• In a food processor, pulse 1 1/2 cups beans, flaxseed and 1 tbsp olive oil until smooth and sticky
• Mix together with whole beans, then stir in bread crumbs
• Pour in onion/corn mix and stir and mash mixture until well combined, but still rather chunky
• Let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes
• Form into patties, then dust with cornmeal and cook in a skillet in oil over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown
• Serve with lettuce, avocado, onion and tomatoes