Recipe: Spicy Black Bean Habanero Burgers

I've received a lot of requests for this recipe so here you all are.

Note: The measurements here are approximate, I rarely measure anything but did when I was documenting this recipe. Relax. Experiment.

You are going to need:

4 cups cooked black beans (I cook my own from dried beans I get at the market...soak overnight, boil for 2 hours). Dry these beans out after cooking to remove excess moisture.

1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped - finely chop about 1/4 cup of this onion.

3 cloves chopped garlic

1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves

1 habanero pepper, roughly chopped (warning, this makes these burgers very, very spicy. Like burn your mouth spicy. Substitute with your favorite pepper or leave this out completely to change the heat level)

1 egg

1/2 cup blitzed crackers (you could use bread crumbs, I prefer to substitute bread crumbs made from crackers blitzed in the food processor)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper


Process:
1. Here I've divided my ingredients, 3 cups of beans in one bowl, 1 cup of beans along with a healthy pinch of the cilantro, the 1/4 cup finely chopped onion in another bowl, the remaining onion, garlic, cilantro, habanero in a third bowl.



2. Blitz the contents of the bowl with the onion, garlic, cilantro and habanero in a food processor. Add the 3 cups of beans and continue to process until you have a paste. Transfer the paste to a large bowl.


3. Mix in to the paste the 1 cup of beans, chopped cilantro and onion. Stir. Mix in the egg and breadcrumbs. Stir. At this point you should have a base that easily forms into patties and doesn't stick to your hands easily. If you mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs until you have a mixture that easily forms into patties.



4. Form your patties.



5. I pan sear in some extra virgin olive oil until they are crispy and brown. Then I freeze them. You could also grill these burgers if you like.



I like to serve these with a splash of lime juice over the top. You can eat them plain or on a roll..I typically eat mine on toasted Ezekiel 4:9 bread with some lettuce and tomato.

This is a versatile recipe...add roasted chipolte peppers for a smoky flavor...add corn to the mix... be creative.

Let me know what you think.