When I first moved to Malibu, my now husband took me to a place called John’s Garden. It was a small deli, so I didn’t think it would be anything special, but boy was I wrong! I had the best black bean burger of my life!

As I always do, whenever I have something great, I always have to try to make my own version at home. I wanted to make a vegan and gluten free version, and I think I’ve come quite close to the original burger…in my humble opinion, of course (:

Here is what you will need:

1/2 cup gluten free dry rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Preheat oven to 325F.

1. Blend the oats and sunflower seeds in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
2. Add in the carrots, red peppers, parsley, spices, salt and pepper, flax meal, and 3/4 of the black beans. Process together.
3. As it’s blending together, add in your EVOO.
4. Once completely blended, remove from the food processor (be careful of the blade!) and place the mixture into a bowl. Mix in the remaining, whole, black beans.
5. Grease up a non-stick baking sheet, and make patties, the size of your choosing, but only about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick so they bake evenly. Place them 1 inch apart on the sheet. Note: wet your hands with water before making each patty so that they don’t stick to your hands.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, and flip halfway through.

Makes about 10 regular sized burgers.

Serve on a sprouted wheat bun or on a bed of lettuce with avocado and any other yummy things you can think of, and enjoy!