Black Bean Burger

By Dani Taylor

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

• ⅓ cup chopped sweet onion

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 3 baby carrots, grated (Optional)

• ¼ cup minced green bell pepper (Optional)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon warm water

• 3 tablespoons chile-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha), or to taste

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay)

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 slices whole-wheat bread, torn into small crumbs

• ¼ cup flour, or as needed

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.

2. Mash black beans in a bowl; add onion, garlic, carrots, and green bell pepper. Mix.

3. Whisk cornstarch, water, chile-garlic sauce, chili powder, cumin, seafood seasoning, salt, and black pepper together in a separate small bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into black bean mixture.

4. Mix whole-wheat bread into bean mixture. Stir flour, 1/4 cup at a time, into bean mixture until a sticky batter forms.

5. Spoon 'burger-sized' mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, about a 3/4-inch thickness per mound. Shape into burgers.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until cooked in the center and crisp in the outside, about 10 minutes on each side.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 169 calories, 31.2g carbohydrates, 1.6g fat, 8.6g protein