Black Bean Burgers

This recipe is for a Black Bean Burger.  I like the texture (which is provided by the mushrooms pulsed in a food processor) and flavor of these a bit more than the Lentil-Walnut ones, but I don't always have fresh mushrooms on hand, or black beans cooked so I don't make it as often. And if you don't like mushrooms, don't worry... you honestly cannot taste them when processed with everything else and they really are just there for the awesome texture they provide to the patties.  :)

Ingredients: 

14 ounces of cooked black beans (you may also use a can of beans, drained & rinsed) 
1 10-ounce package cremini (baby bella) mushrooms cut in half or sliced
1 slice whole-grain bread, toasted
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t salt (omit if using canned beans) 
1 t black pepper
1 egg (or you may use a flax egg - 1 1/2 T ground flax seeds mixed with 1/4 c. water, set aside for about 5 mins til thickened)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425° F. Place mushrooms in food processor bowl and pulse several times until coarsely chopped. Tear bread into pieces and add to food processor, along with beans, onion, garlic, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper. Pulse until mixed, then add egg (or flax "egg") and pulse a few more times. Divide mixture into four. Take a quarter of the mixture and form a ball, then flatten with your hands.  Repeat to make the remaining three patties. Place patties on nonstick baking sheet (I use a baking stone). Set baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes, until outside is crispy.

I only have photos of these on the baking stone because I suck and scarfed them down before I thought to take a picture.   Next time I will take one of them on the bun.

Also, this photo shows orange specs in the burgers, which is from the cheddar cheese that the original recipe called for.  I found the cheese to not add any flavor or anything other than added calories & fat to the burgers, so I will omit it going forward.

Tomorrow - my FAVORITE burger recipe, Wild Rice Pub burgers!!