I’m so sorry that I have not posted all week here on the blog. Real-life has been the priority this week, and the mind fog around being three weeks into staying at home and being so isolated made for a mushy mind. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that Pia, who has been sick for 6 weeks, had actually gotten much worse the last 10 days. Luckily, but not without much stress, she is now on the proper meds and is finally turning the corner on her walking pneumonia- well, fingers crossed.

So now, I sit at my kitchen counter and listen to the sirens outside, which seem to be growing every day. I try to be positive. I know I am so, so lucky to have my loved one tucked into her bed upstairs, on the road to recovery, and my heart breaks for all of the families who have not been as fortunate. But we all have to keep going and do what we can to help.

Southwestern Black Beaan Burgers (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

One of the things I know I can do to be productive and help is by offering you ideas about how to practically keep your family fed. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have other ideas! That is what prompted me to my laptop today- keep going, and do what we can to help.

I had many people commiserate over the strange amount of canned black beans that either a loved one seemed to stock up on, or in some cases it was all they could get. In my case, Pete not only stocked up at Trader Joes at some point, but also brought home a case from Costco. We are talking about a serious amount of black beans!

Southwestern Black Beaan Burgers (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

Yes, tacos, burritos, nachos- all that stuff sounds great and some of it is happening, but I also wanted to see what else I could make from them, which led me to this burger. It also includes quinoa- because for some reason I have way too much of that too! Since I am very into using what I have, I made a bunch of burgers and they were great, they refrigerate well, and I assume they freeze well too- so you could make a big batch at once and freeze for another day.

I flavored it with southwestern spices and definitely feel free to adjust to taste since it is easy to try it before it is fried. Hopefully you have a nice big bag of frozen tater tots to go with these like we did- Enjoy!

Southwestern Black Beaan Burgers (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

SWEET AND SPICY PICKLED RED ONIONS

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers (Vegan and gluten-free)
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 5-6
 
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped
  • 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • ⅓ cup dehydrated potato flakes (or you could sub almond flour, tapioca flour, mashed potato or sweet potato)
  • Optional Burger Toppings:
  • Gluten-free buns
  • Vegan Cheese
  • Lettuce
  • Pickles
  • Tomatoes
  • Avocados
  • Sweet and spicy pickled onions (recipe linked above)
  • Ketchup and mustard
Instructions
  1. In a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat add the oil, onion and jalapeno and saute for a few minutes until soft. Add the beans and the quinoa and saute while stirring for about 5 minutes. This will absorb any extra moisture which will be cooking off in this process. Add the cumin, chili, salt and cilantro and mix well. Add the potato flakes (or other binder of choice) and I used my clean hands to mix everything together well. Form the bean mixture into patties- I got 5 large patties, or you can get 6 smaller patties.
  2. These can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen. To heat them up, add a little oil back to the non-stick pan and fry them until golden, about 1.5 - 2 minutes on each side.
  3. Assemble the burger with desired toppings and serve hot.

 

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Categorized: Dinner, Sandwiches & Burgers, Vegan, Vegetarian
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I’m so sorry that I have not posted all week here on the blog. Real-life has been the priority this week, and the mind fog around being three weeks into staying at home and being so isolated made for a mushy mind. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that Pia, who has been sick for 6 weeks, had actually gotten much worse the last 10 days. Luckily, but not without much stress, she is now on the proper meds and is finally turning the corner on her walking pneumonia- well, fingers crossed.

So now, I sit at my kitchen counter and listen to the sirens outside, which seem to be growing every day. I try to be positive. I know I am so, so lucky to have my loved one tucked into her bed upstairs, on the road to recovery, and my heart breaks for all of the families who have not been as fortunate. But we all have to keep going and do what we can to help.

Southwestern Black Beaan Burgers (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

One of the things I know I can do to be productive and help is by offering you ideas about how to practically keep your family fed. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have other ideas! That is what prompted me to my laptop today- keep going, and do what we can to help.

I had many people commiserate over the strange amount of canned black beans that either a loved one seemed to stock up on, or in some cases it was all they could get. In my case, Pete not only stocked up at Trader Joes at some point, but also brought home a case from Costco. We are talking about a serious amount of black beans!

Southwestern Black Beaan Burgers (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

Yes, tacos, burritos, nachos- all that stuff sounds great and some of it is happening, but I also wanted to see what else I could make from them, which led me to this burger. It also includes quinoa- because for some reason I have way too much of that too! Since I am very into using what I have, I made a bunch of burgers and they were great, they refrigerate well, and I assume they freeze well too- so you could make a big batch at once and freeze for another day.

I flavored it with southwestern spices and definitely feel free to adjust to taste since it is easy to try it before it is fried. Hopefully you have a nice big bag of frozen tater tots to go with these like we did- Enjoy!

Southwestern Black Beaan Burgers (Vegan and Gluten-free) from HeatherChristo.com

SWEET AND SPICY PICKLED RED ONIONS

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers (Vegan and gluten-free)
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 5-6
 
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 fresh jalapeno, finely chopped
  • 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • ⅓ cup dehydrated potato flakes (or you could sub almond flour, tapioca flour, mashed potato or sweet potato)
  • Optional Burger Toppings:
  • Gluten-free buns
  • Vegan Cheese
  • Lettuce
  • Pickles
  • Tomatoes
  • Avocados
  • Sweet and spicy pickled onions (recipe linked above)
  • Ketchup and mustard
Instructions
  1. In a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat add the oil, onion and jalapeno and saute for a few minutes until soft. Add the beans and the quinoa and saute while stirring for about 5 minutes. This will absorb any extra moisture which will be cooking off in this process. Add the cumin, chili, salt and cilantro and mix well. Add the potato flakes (or other binder of choice) and I used my clean hands to mix everything together well. Form the bean mixture into patties- I got 5 large patties, or you can get 6 smaller patties.
  2. These can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen. To heat them up, add a little oil back to the non-stick pan and fry them until golden, about 1.5 - 2 minutes on each side.
  3. Assemble the burger with desired toppings and serve hot.

 

Recipe by Heather Christo (http://heatherchristo.com)