Black bean burgers with chipotle ketchup

Dietitian's tip:

You can make these black bean burgers ahead of time and freeze them.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/4 cups dried black beans, sorted, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
2. 3 cups water
3. 1 bay leaf
4. 2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, peeled and seeded, then diced
5. 1 yellow onion, chopped
6. 4 cloves garlic, minced
7. 1 tablespoon tomato paste
8. 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
9. 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
10. 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
11. 1/2 teaspoon salt
12. 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
13. 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
14. 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
15. 1/4 cup chopped pecans
16. 1 green onion, thinly sliced
17. 1 egg, lightly beaten
18. 3/4 cup whole-grain breadcrumbs
19. 6 whole-grain hamburger buns
20. 6 slices tomato
21. 6 slices red onion
22. 3 lettuce leaves, halved

Directions

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the beans, water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer until the beans are tender, 60-70 minutes. Drain and discard the bay leaf.

While the beans are cooking, make the chipotle ketchup. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the tomatoes, half the yellow onion, half the garlic, the tomato paste, vinegar, chipotle chili, 3/4 teaspoon of the cumin and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has cooked off and the sauce is thick, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a frying pan, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the canola oil over medium heat. Add the remaining yellow onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper and the remaining garlic and saute until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool. Set the pan aside.

In a food processor, combine the drained beans, onion mixture, brown rice, pecans, green onion and the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin. Pulse several times until the mixture is coarsely pureed. Fold in the beaten egg and breadcrumbs. Form the mixture into 6 patties, each about 3/4-inch thick. Chilling patties prior to cooking may help hold them together.

In the same pan used for the onion mixture, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides and heated through, 7-9 minutes total.

Serve each burger on a bun topped with 1 tomato slice, 1 onion slice, 1/2 lettuce leaf and a dollop of the ketchup.