Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

2 cans of black beans
1/3 heaping cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
vegetable (or similar) oil
salt (to taste)
garlic powder (to taste)
paprika (to taste)
onion powder (to taste)
other spices as desired
burger trimmings as desired such as: rolls, fried eggs, pickles, mustard, ketchup, cheese, etc

Makes about 8 burgers.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Rinse and drain the cans of black beans
Spread beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture (burgers will hold together better)
Once baked, transfer beans to the food processor (if using) or to the medium bowl
Process or mash the beans until you have a rough paste with visible pieces of beans. Some whole beans are fine.
Preheat a pan to a little higher than medium-low heat, around marking 3.5
Mix the seasonings, breadcrumbs, eggss, and beans together in the bowl until well-combined.
With wet hands (re-wetting as necessary so the mixture doesn’t stick), form the bean mix into eight roughly-even balls. For larger burgers, aim for fewer balls.
Continuing with wet hands, form the balls into burgers by flattening them. Smooth over cracks and edges so they don’t fall apart while cooking.
Swirl enough vegetable oil in the pan to just cover the bottom. Lay burgers in the pan away from you, not overlapping. You may need to cook in batches.
Flip the burgers once the bottoms are very slightly browned. Add more oil if needed.
Once burgers are very slightly browned on both sides, add toppings such as cheese, if desired, and melt.
Serve with normal burger trimmings, as desired.