eat; black bean and chia seed burger

Lately I've been looking into superfoods as my bro is not well back home and I've decided I'm going to heal him through food once I get back. Last week, I made this burger based on a recipe from Navitas Natural website, If you haven't heard of them, click on the link and check them out. What an amazing company! LOVE!!

I changed up their recipe because I wanted to create a Mexican inspired flavour, but using fresh herbs in a burger seems to be a waste of time, so I'm re-adjusting it below to incorporate dried herbs and spices. It is served with a fresh salsa and avocado slices. They are easy to make and freeze well once cooked. Always great to have a burger or three in the freezer for the days or nights when you can't be bothered cooking! This is an open burger, meaning no bun. I just find buns to be a waste of space in my belly, but do as you wish.

Makes about 6 burgers

What you need;

1 can black beans

1/2 cup of chia seeds

1 1/2 cups brown rice

4 oz firm tofu

1/4 cup nutrional yeast
1 carrot, grated

1/2 red onion, chopped finely

1 tsp dried of each; oregano, parika, cummin,corriander

Salsa 

2 tomatoes

1 red capsicum (bell pepper)

1/4 red onion

2 spring (green) onions

Bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro)

Dressing

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

To serve

Roma lettuce leaves

1 avocado, sliced

Chop  rinsing the beans under running water. Mash the beans with the back of a fork until half the beans are squashed. Add each ingredient one at a time, mixing between additions.

Once mixed, place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This will allow the chia seeds to swell and hold all the ingredients together. You can do this the night before if time is of essence.

While the burger mixture is in the refrigerator 'resting', start making the salsa. Simply chop all the ingredients into small pieces and add to an awaiting bowl. Mix the dressing in a cup and set aside.

Once the burgers are ready to cook, grab a big handful of the mixture and form a ball into the palm of your hand. Flatten into a patty and set aside. Once all the patty's are made, heat up a little oil on a medium heat and cook until golden brown.

To serve, add the dressing to the salsa and mix through. Make a bed of roughly chopped roma lettuce leaves onto each individual serving plate and gently place the patty on top. Place sliced avocado and top with a generous scoop of the salsa.

Buon Appetito!