BLACK BEAN & RICE MEXI BURGERS

I love Mexican food; I love black beans and I love rice. These burgers have a definite Mexican lean and they’re filled with goodness. Enough said.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
140g	short-grain brown rice
1 400 g tin	black beans, drained and rinsed
2	spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped, plus extra to serve
1	small green capsicum, trimmed, seeded and roughly chopped
1	jalapeno chilli, finely chopped, optional
1 small handful	coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon	ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon	paprika
1/4 teaspoon	garlic, crushed
15g	nutritional yeast flakes
2 1/2 tablespoons	psyllium husk
2 1/2 tablespoons	tomato paste
	sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 1/2 tablespoons	coconut oil, for frying
or	grapeseed oil, for frying
	chard leaves, sliced avocado, lime wedge and micro greens, to serve

Place the rice in a sieve then rinse it under cold water until the water runs clear. Combine the rice in a saucepan with 375 ml water and bring it to a simmer. Cover the pan then cook the rice over medium-low heat for 40 minutes or until the water has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the rice to cool, uncovered.
Place all the remaining ingredients, except the oil, into your food processor and process until the vegetables are finely chopped and the beans are smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the cooled rice.
Taking 55 g of the mixture at a time, make patties about 5.5 cm across. I find it easier to do this if my hands are a bit wet so the rice doesn’t stick. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat then cook the patties, in batches, for 3–4 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden. Alternatively, you can bake them in a preheated 180°C oven on a tray lined with baking paper for 25 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. Serve straight away in chard leaves for wrapping, with avocado slices, micro greens and lime wedges for squeezing.