Smoked Apple Black Bean Burger

I like my food hot and saucy! I also need it to be quick and easy a lot of the times and so I am all about food prep. In fact I've become a pro at it. Sundays used to be my day to food prep for the week, but the reality is I simply don't have a day to dedicate to the kitchen like I used to. When I do however, I am on it like flies on poop! SO, in the meantime I have created efficiency in my kitchen. Dinner time has also become my prep time. Whether it be making a larger batch, dicing up a few extra vegetables or tossing together tomorrows lunch while dinners in the oven, I am all over it and I move FAST (mostly because I'm wired in the kitchen and not out of necessity).

in typical Alyssa fashion I got to work the other night and while dinner was a brewin', I whipped together this batch of burgers. I formed the patties and placed parchment paper between each for ease and storage in the freezer. I won't lie only half the batch made it to the freezer. The other half... well I ate them for breakfast one day and lunch and dinner the other and no bun was needed, yum! These burgers taste delicious and keep beautifully in the freezer. In fact they were even easier to cook from frozen than they were fresh!

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Smoked Apple Black Bean Burger

Makes 10 Burgers

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked quinoa ( = 1 cup uncooked)

• 1 medium onion grated

• 1 can black beans

• 1 chia "egg" (1 tbsp chia seeds, 4 tbsp water)

• 1 apple grated

• 1/3 cup oat flour

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp cayenne

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tbsp pepper

• 1 tsp. salt

Method:

1. In a medium pot combine 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water (or broth). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F.

3. In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp of chia seeds and 4 tbsp of water, stir and set aside.

4. In a medium bowl mash your black beans and set aside.

5. Peel and grate your apple and onion, then add both to your black beans bowl.

6. Stir in oat flour and combine ingredients.

7. Add remaining spices and your chia egg to your mixture and stir all ingredients together.

8. Form into patties and place on parchment paper for cooking (or place a piece of parchment paper between each patty for freezing)

9. Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the outside of the patty is browned. Although all the ingredients are already cooked, this cooking time will allow the patties to hold together and give you a great texture for your burger!

Tip: Enjoy this burger over a bed of lettuce or on a bun. Top with your desired toppings. I tried a smokey BBQ sauce, sriracha, dijon mustard and a cashew cream, with lettuce, tomato and parsley.