Vegan Spicy Black Bean Quinoa Burger

This is one of the best recipes for cooking for family or friends or convincing people to go vegan. Many times people don't want to go vegan because they don't think the food will taste good. If you find the perfect recipes you love, going vegan will be easier than you think!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of avocado oil for pan (Healthier option)
• 1 cup of uncooked quinoa  and 1/2 cups of water
• 1 - 30 ounce or 2 – 15 ounce cans of black beans – drained and rinsed well
• 2 cloves of garlic - peeled
• 1/2 of a medium red onion – cut into quarters
• 1 red chili pepper – seeded
• 1 orange bell pepper – Seed and cut into quarters. A red or yellow pepper will do
• 4 stalks of cilantro
• 3 tablespoons of ground flax seed + 6 tablespoons of water mixed together well
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds (For added protein)
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• Add spices or hot sauce for added taste
• Gluten free Burger buns

Instructions: 

1. Put the quinoa in a fine strainer and rinse well, approximately 3 minutes. Drain and put in a small sauce pan with the water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling lower the heat to simmer and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for five minutes.
2. Put 3/4 of the beans in a food processor and blend until they begin to form a ball. Put in a large mixing bowl with the whole beans and rinse the container. Put the bell pepper into the food processor and pulse until it’s chopped into fine pieces. Put in a fine strainer and press out the excess water and then transfer to the bowl with the beans. Rinse the container and put the onions, garlic, cilantro, and chili pepper in a bowl and chop. Transfer to the bowl with the beans. Add the spices and liquid smoke to the bowl.
3. Mix the flax and water and stir until it’s a thick and sticky consistency. Pour into the bowl with the beans and stir well to combine. The texture should be thick and very sticky. Scoop out a 1/2 cup of the mixture, roll into a ball, then pat into a patty.
4. Heat large skillet on medium-high heat, add the oil and spread it evenly in the pan. Add the burgers and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes or until they’re nicely browned. Use a spatula to gently flip and cook the other side for the same amount of time.
5. Homemade bean burgers are not the same as store bought. They need to be handled with care or they will crack. Also, canned beans can be inconsistent in texture.