Black Bean Burgers

I thought these not only tasted delicious, but also looked more beautiful than their meat burger cousins.  The texture of the burger is a little crispy on the outside and soft inside.  I made a double batch of them (fully cooked) and have been keeping them in my freezer.  I pop them in the microwave and top with ketchup, mustard and avocado for a quick lunch with or without the bread/bun.

2 cups or 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten (or flour works, too)
1/2 cup plain whole wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon tomato paste or ketchup
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (optional, but highly recommended)
2 cloves garlic (use garlic press or microplane grater)
1/2 small onion
About 2 Tab. olive oil

Mash the beans with a fork or potato masher in a mixing bowl. You don't want to puree them; just get them mashed so that no whole beans are left, but leave some half-beans.

Add the wheat gluten, bread crumbs, chili powder, cumin, water, tomato paste, cilantro and garlic.  Use the large holes on a box grater to grate the onion in.

Mix everything together with a fork and then proceed to mix with your hands until the mixture is firm and uniformly mixed (about a minute).

Preheat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.

Divide the burger mixture into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a firm ball. Use your palm to press the ball down on a clean surface to form a small patty. Press so that the patty is flat on both sides. Make six patties.

Pour a thin layer of olive oil into the pan. Cook the patties three at a time for 5 minutes on each side, gently but firmly pressing down on them with a spatula so they spread a little more while cooking. Once cooked, the patties should be firm when you press down on them.

Serve warm on burger buns with your usual accompaniments. (Don't forget your avocado!)