I started playing with making my own kind of burger that was vegan and gluten free after being somewhat discouraged by all the store bought alternatives. Here's the thing, just because something is gluten free and vegan, doesn't mean it's automatically healthy. There are so many fillers and processed ingredients that can go into making meat-free patties that you might as well skip the whole thing if you're trying to eat clean.

I focused on black beans and quinoa as my stars in the healthier patty, but without an egg to stick 'em together, I needed an alternative binding agent. I tried a version with a flax egg (flax mixed with water) and I still had to be careful during patty flipping in the pan.

Blending gluten free oats into a fine powder definitely helped the mixture bind. I also processed half of the ingredients to create a stickier base, while still retaining some black bean chunks.

Oven baking in pre-formed pans definitely helped the pans retain their shape best. I even pulled out my mini-muffin pan to make smaller size black bean quinoa bites to serve as an appetizer. 

It's hard not to think about Mexican flavorings when eating black beans, so I embraced it and added some spice with Chipotle peppers, cilantro and Sriracha. If you don't like spicy things, then you can simply reduce the peppers added.

The black bean quinoa patties once crisp from the oven, scream for a topping and since Mexican seasoning was already on my mind, there was only one place to go - guacamole. This is a little more of an avocado sauce since I used a blender so I could scoop and dollop it on top.

These spicy black bean quinoa patties are a healthy, versatile snack, lunch, appetizer or picnic item. Enjoy!

Spicy Black Bean Quinoa Patties {Vegan, Gluten Free}

Makes 6 large patties or about 30 bite size pieces

Ingredients

Spicy Black Bean Quinoa Patties

• 1/2 onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 - 15 ounce cans of black beans (look for BPA-free cans)

• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, stems removed

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha

• 3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats, blended into a fine powder

• 3/4 cup cooked quinoa (instructions here)

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Avocado Sauce

• 3 small, ripe avocados, skin and pit removed

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, stems removed

• 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Warm the coconut oil in a large sauté pan. Once hot, add the onions, stirring until translucent and then add the garlic and cook another 60 seconds. Remove from heat and place in a Cuisinart/blender bowl.

3. Open and rinse black beans. Add one can to the onion-garlic mix, along with chipotle, cumin, cilantro, lime and Sriracha. Process until a smooth paste forms, then stir in the other can of rinsed black beans.

4. Fold in the rolled oat powder and cooked quinoa and adjust seasoning as necessary.

5. Place mixture into small or large muffin pans, coated with non-stick cooking spray. Or you can form into patties and place on a greased baking sheet or on the stovetop. Cook in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until set and crisp on top. If using a free form patty, flip halfway. Remove when firm throughout and crisp on top.

6. While cooking, combine all the avocado sauce ingredients in a mixer and blend until smooth. Place a dollop of sauce on top of each patty and enjoy. Will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Looking for other Mexican spiced recipes?