••••SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGERS🥜🍞🥘🍳🧀🌶🍔🍃🍮🍛!!••••

(Source: runnersworld.com & magazine & courtesy of Jim & Evana & Mitch Mandel)

••••SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGERS!!

••••INGREDIENTS••••

½ cup walnuts
1 small white onion, quartered
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 large, soft pretzel rolls, sliced
¼ cup olive-oil mayonnaise
1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
½ cup sliced pimiento peppers or 2 roasted red pepper halves
4 romaine lettuce leaves

••••INSTRUCTIONS•••

Place walnuts in food processor. Process for about 20 seconds, or until the nuts are like breadcrumbs. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Add onion to food processor and process until finely chopped, about 10 seconds. Add half the beans and process until they’re a chunky puree, about 10 seconds. Transfer mixture to bowl of walnuts. Add remaining beans, breadcrumbs, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and egg. Mix until well combined. With wet hands, form mixture into 4 patties. Chill for 1 hour.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add patties and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip, top patties with cheese, and cook 4 to 6 minutes more, covering with a lid in the last few minutes to melt cheese.

Meanwhile, lightly toast rolls. Spread 1 ½ teaspoons of mayo inside each top and bottom bun. Transfer cooked patties to bottom buns. Top each patty with ¼ teaspoon of hot sauce, ¼ of the pimientos, and 1 lettuce leaf. Add top buns and serve. Makes 4 servings.