Black Bean Guacaioli Burgers

I was in the mood last night to create a black bean burger concoction. Why I'm not sure, but the sound of it was like music to my tongue, so I proceeded.

The guacaioli is inspired by, yes you're right, a guacamole and aioli combination. Guacamole because it contains avocado, cilantro, and jalapeno, but aioli because of the mayo and garlic components, hence my made-up word of GUACAIOLI. Maybe the term itself needs some tweeking, but the actual stuff was tasty-- the mayo gave it some volume and the cilantro, jalapeno, and garlic pumped up the flavor by notches.

We've all got zucchini growing out of our ears right now, so why not throw some lightly sauteed zucchini slices on top in place of lettuce??

And, speaking of growing out of our ears, tomatoes are in abundance right now too.. throw some on your burg' if you wish.

It was a surprisingly tasty and filling meal. Both hubs and I loved it and will come back to it again!

The black bean burger recipe yielded about 5 substantial patties, but the guacaioli yielded maybe a bit less.

Ta ta!

Black Bean Burgers with Guacaioli and Sauteed Zucchini

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt

1 egg

1 zucchini, sliced thinly on diagonal, and sauteed in olive oil and salt until browned and tender

Favorite Hamburger Buns

Guacaioli

1/2 cup mayo

1 ripe avocado

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 jalapeno, minced

salt (season to taste)

Squeeze of lime juice

In a food processor, grind the black beans, pepper, onion, garlic, and seasonings all together until it's a nutty consistency (you don't want it all the way smooth, nor do you want it huge chunky- just medium chunky:)). Remove from food processor, season with salt, and add egg. Form into patties and either bake in a 375 degree oven on a greased cookie sheet OR fry on stove top in olive oil (baking takes about 10-15 minutes)

Meanwhile, make the guacaioli by combining all the ingredients together. Set aside.

To assemble, place baked bean burger on bun, and then zucchini slices on top. Spread guacaioli on the other side of the bun.

Get your mouth around it and enjoy!