Recipe Yummy Vegan Burgers

ISLAND BLACKBEAN BURGERS with Nectarine Salsa Makes 8 burgers Total time: 45 mins Active time: 20 mins

Who doesn’t love a black bean burger? Here I’ve gone with a little Caribbean twist—not just frijoles negros (that’s black beans to you), but black–eyed peas, too. And instead of the usual cumin and friends, I use a healthy dose of Jamaican curry powder. Topped with a sweet nectarine salsa, this tastes like a fabulous island vacay. Unless you already live on a beautiful tropical island, in which case it tastes like home. I love that these come together in the mixing bowl without any need for sautéing the ingredients first, so they’re great for anytime, anywhere. The nectarine salsa is the perfect sweet note here, and you don’t even have to peel the fruit since the skin isn’t fuzzy like a peach. Or use peaches if you like fuzzy salsa.

For the burgers:

• 1 tin black beans, rinsed and drained (1 ½ cups)
  
• 1 tin can black– eyed peas, rinsed & drained (1 ½ cups)
  
• ½ cup chopped red pepper
  
• 1 cup finely chopped spring onions
  
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
  
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Jamaican curry powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• ¼ cup vegetable stock
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  

For the Nectarine Salsa:

• 2 nectarines, diced into 1cm pieces
  
• ¼ cup finely diced red onion
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
  
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  
• Olive oil
  
• 8 burger buns
  

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare the burgers: In a medium bowl, use a small potato masher (or a strong fork) to mash the black beans and black-eyed peas. They should be good and mushy but not totally puréed, with a few beans still identifiable in the mix. Add the red pepper, spring onions, coriander, curry powder, salt, stock, and lime juice and mix well. Mix in the panko until it all holds together. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or so, or until the salsa is ready.

Prepare the salsa: Simply mix everything together in a bowl!

Cook the burgers: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with oil. Form the burger mixture into 8 patties that are about 2.5cm thick. Brush with a little more oil and bake for

15 minutes. Flip the burgers and bake for 12 to 15 more minutes, until nicely browned. Stuff each burger into a bun and top with salsa. Serve away!

NOTES: This recipe halves well! Using only one kind of bean is probably your best bet if you’re halving it, and I think regular black beans work better solo. If you don’t feel like making the salsa (even though it’s so easy!), then you can just slice up a couple pieces of mango, nectarine, or pineapple. I love the sweetness here, so I’d say go that route instead of plain old ketchup, but hey, a little ketchup never hurt anyone.