Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

2 - 15 oz cans black beans, drained

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

4 Tbsp ground flax seeds

1/3 cup pickled jalapenos, chopped

1 onion, chopped small

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp ground cumin

2 Tbsp smoked paprika

Black pepper - a couple of grindings

6 Tbsp water

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Place walnuts and rolled oats in a food processor and pulse 6 times. Add drained black beans and pulse until well mixed, but don’t over mix or you’ll have mush. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

3. Add the brown rice and give the mixture a good stir.

4. Mix the ground flax with the 6 Tbsp of water and set aside.

5. Add the remaining ingredients to the rice and bean mixture and mix well with a wooded spoon or sturdy spatula.

6. Stir in the flax/water mixture and stir well to combine everything.

7. If you feel it’s too crumbly, add 1 or 2 Tbsp of water, one at a time and stir.

8. Form patties using 1/23 cup of the mixture and placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes until patties firm up and have a slightly crisp exterior.

Yields 12 burgers - These freeze well for up to 90 days. After the initial baking, burgers can be reheated in the oven, microwave, in a pan on the stove, an air fryer, or on the grill.