Homemade Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup raw walnuts (or sub bread crumbs)
• 1/2 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil (plus more for cooking)
• 1/2 medium white onion (finely diced // 1/2 onion yields ~3/4 cup)
• 1 Tbsp each chili powder, cumin powder, and smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper (plus more for coating burgers)
• 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 1/2 cups canned cooked black beans* (well rinsed, drained, and patted dry)
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs can substitute for gluten-free crumbs
• 3-4 Tbsp BBQ sauce of choice

Directions

1. Pre-cook brown rice.
2. Heat skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add raw walnuts and toast for 5-7 minutes, frequently stirring, until fragrant and golden brown. Let walnuts cool, and move on to the next step.
3. In the meantime, heat the same skillet over medium heat. Add oil and onion. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.
4. Once walnuts are cooled, add to a blender or food processor with spices and sugar. Blend until a fine powder similar to flour consistency is achieved.  Set aside.
5. Add drained, dried black beans to a large mixing bowl and mash well with a fork, leaving only a few whole beans (see photo).
6. Next, add cooked rice, spice-walnut mixture, sautéed onion, panko bread crumbs, BBQ sauce, and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or until a moldable dough forms. If dry, add extra 1-2 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) BBQ sauce. If too wet, add more panko bread crumbs. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
7. For larger burgers, divide into 5 patties (1/2 cup in size // amount as original recipe is written), or form 10 smaller burgers (1/4 cup in size // amount as original recipe is written). To help form the patties, line your 1/2 or 1/4 measuring cup with plastic wrap and pack it with burger mixture. Press down to pack firmly, then lift out by the plastic wrap’s edge and slightly flatten with hands to form a 3/4-inch thick patty. Set on a baking sheet or plate for grilling.
8. If grilling, heat the grill at this time and brush the grill surface with oil to ease cooking. Otherwise, heat the same skillet you used earlier to medium heat.
9. Once skillet is hot, add just enough oil to coat the bottom of your skillet lightly, then add your burgers – only as many as will comfortably fit in the pan. Otherwise, add burgers to the grill and close lid.
10. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until well browned on the underside, then flip gently. They aren’t as firm as meat burgers but will hold their shape. Reduce heat if cooking/browning too quickly. Cook for 3-4 minutes on another side.
11. Remove burgers from heat to let cool slightly, and prepare any other toppings/sides at this time (such as grilling/toasting your buns).
12. Serve burgers as is or on toasted buns with desired toppings. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. See notes for freezing/reheating instructions.