Black Bean Patties 

Who needs meat when you have beens and rice and veggies? These patties have a complete protein, along with the nutrient rich yet low calorie density vegetables for extra texture and flavor. 

In these I used brown rice, but you could also use quinoa or bread crumbs. It gives the patties a lighter texture.

The chard works very well in this dish. The cooked leaves were tender and the flavor lends well. You probably could use regular “adult” chard as well.

The end result goes *really* well with ketchup. I highly recommend it. 

For serving ideas, you could put them on slider buns, serve alongside scrambled eggs, as a plain side dish, or eat them as is, like I did :) 

Time: 25 minutes 

Makes: about 5 small patties, or two servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black beans, drained
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped 
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 chopped scallion, including the greens
• About 2 handfuls of baby chard 
• Salt 
• Pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli pepper 

Method: 

1—Drain and rinse beans and wash produce.

2—Chop pepper into 1/2 inch cubes. Remove large stems from the card and rip/chop into smaller pieces. Chop scallion finely.

3—Heat 1 teaspoon of oil, or about 1/4 cup water, in a skillet and add the vegetables. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes.

4—In a medium sized bowl, combine rice, beans, vegetables, and seasonings. Mash with a potato masher or with a large for until the mixture turns into something that you can pick up and form into ball with your hands. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. 

5—Form the mixture into small patties, about 3 inches in diameter. Heat a little more oil in the same skillet and fry the patties until they start to get slightly brown and can be flipped over. 

6—Once browned on both sizes, they are ready to serve. 

Enjoy!

Recipe and photos by Kate Mitchell 

Enjoy!