Spicy Black Bean Burgers

After logging on with the specific purpose of posting this recipe for a certain someone (ALEX), I got distracted and spent almost an hour reading everyone else's blog. So many lovely posts to distract me!

Back to business:

Spicy Black Bean Burgers - vegan and gluten free.

Whatcha need:
1 can of black beans
2/3 of a can of corn (or 2 ears of fresh corn - yum!)
3/4 cup of rolled oats (see below for my explanation of why I still believe this is gluten free)
1/2 jalapeno (use the whole thing if you're brave, unlike me)
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a medium onion
curry powder (to taste)
cumin (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of a gluten free binder (rice crispies, ground flax etc.)

To make:
1. I used a food processor (just so you know), add the half an onion, half a jalapeno without the seeds, and garlic and pumped until they were all chopped fine.
2. Drain the corn, and black beans then add in along with the rolled oats. Pump the food processor until it is the desired texture (I didn't go overboard because I like the whole corn pieces), then add in the spices and mix up. Taste and make sure you like the amount of spices. I didn't add a whole lot, because I find them very overpowering.
3. Let that mixture sit in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours. Remove and add in your binder and then separate into 4 - 6 patties, depending on how big you want them to be.
4. Cook in a frying pan with olive oil on medium until they form a little bit of a crust and are heated through.
5. I topped mine with mustard, red onion, tomato and avocado but the possibilities are endless.

Why I believe that oats are gluten free:
There is a lot of talk regarding oats (it turns out), and so I did some research about them and in the end I did decide for my own purposes that oats are gluten free. By nature oats do not contain gluten which is what effects those with celiac disease, but after they are harvested they are genetically processed. This process is what creates the same effect as gluten. It is possible to find safe oats, if you are that concerned about your gluten intake.

Alex, I hope this is ok! If you choose not to use the oats just add in something else to bind them and it should work just as well. Hope your fam enjoys!

Be well folks!