Pumpkin and Black Bean Sliders with Avocado-Hummus
think it’s safe to say that Seattlites have gone a little bit crazy over the upcoming Super Bowl. The city is buzzing with excitement and it seems to be all anyone can talk about. But me? Well, I’m mostly excited about the food.
One common complaint I hear about veggie burgers is that they tend to be dry and fall apart when you cook them. But not these. They have pumpkin puree in the mix, which keeps the burgers very moist (sorry, had to say it). If you’re a pumpkin hater, don’t worry because you really can’t taste it here.
I dressed up these sliders with an avocado-hummus. Mostly because I couldn’t decide whether to top them with guacamole or hummus, so I just combined the two into one spread. That was a good decision on my part because holy YUM. You’ll end up with more avocado-hummus than you’ll need for the sliders, but that’s not a bad problem to have because it’s the perfect dip for tortilla chips or vegetables.
Ingredients
- For the Avocado-Hummus
- 1 avocado, halved and seeded
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini paste
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- For the Patties
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts only
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup cooked and cooled brown rice
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- Scant 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- For the Sliders
- 8 mini-sized burger buns
- Mixed greens
- Sliced tomatoes
Instructions
- Make the avocado-hummus. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and add it to the bowl of your food processor with the blade attachment. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and process until everything is smooth and well combined. Transfer the avocado-hummus to a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. The avocado-hummus can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Make the pumpkin and black bean patties. In your food processor with the blade attachment (no need to clean out the bowl from above), combine the garlic, scallions, pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil, chili powder, cumin and salt. Add the brown rice, half of the black beans, flaxseed meal and bread crumbs. Pulse 5-6 times to combine. Add the rest of the black beans and pulse another 2-3 times. You want some larger flecks of beans remaining, so don’t pulse the mixture so much that it makes a uniform paste. Remove the mixture from the food processor (it will be slightly tacky). Form it into eight 1/2-inch thick patties. Place the patties on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and chill them into your refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Cook the patties. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook them about 2-3 minutes per side, or until a light brown crust is formed. Remove from the heat. Patties can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and re-heated before serving.
- Assemble the sliders. Place the patties on your mini-sized burger buns and top with about a tablespoon of the avocado-hummus. Add any other toppings that you like (mixed greens, tomatoes, etc.). Serve and enjoy.
