Pumpkin Black Bean Patties

Happy Monday! I hope you are starting your week feeling refreshed and revitalized. We had a really lovely weekend here in Columbia. Friday night we stayed in and watched Ken Burns documentaries on Netflix, cause, you know, I'm turning 30 in exactly 32 days so I guess I better start acting like it. Saturday was decidedly more lively. We celebrated Mardi Gras at City Roots, our local, organic farm. They had great music, local brews, and food trucks set up around the farm. It was so much fun to be outside with friends in the beautiful, almost spring-like weather. Then on Sunday, I spent most of the day on the front porch (in a t-shirt!!) working on lesson plan for an upcoming class I'm teaching (more on that later). All this lovely weather and short-sleeve wearing got me really excited for spring.

Then I suddenly had a moment of panic when I realized, oh my goodness, I have the perfect fall/winter recipe sitting in my archives and I'm running out of time to share it! Is sharing a pumpkin recipe after Thanksgiving the blogging equivalent of white pants after labor day? Eek, I hope not!

These are some of the best veggie burgers I've made. Considering I try a new veggie burger recipe a couple times a month, that's saying something. I hardly adapted it at all from the original recipe on Sprouted Kitchen, really, I just added a little extra smokiness with smoked chili powder. This is a really versatile recipe. You could serve them in a burger, maybe with a slice of tomato, avocado and pepper jack cheese. Or, make a miniature version to stuff in a whole grain pita, then serve it with a fresh salsa of cucumbers and cherry tomatoes and sour cream. I served it over a kale salad, which turned out kinda blah, hence me not sharing the recipe. If you do go the salad route though, make sure you include pomegranate seeds - their sweet crunch was the perfect foil to the pumpkin patties.

One more thing before I share this recipe - if you live here in the Columbia, SC area, I hope you'll join me for a class I'm teaching this Saturday the 8th from 1-2 pm at Sozo Fitness in Irmo. I'll be covering a topic I'm sure you know I'm passionate about, plant-based nutrition. In the class we'll cover subjects like....

• What is a plant-based diet? How is it different from vegetarian or vegan diets?
• What are the health benefits of a plant-based diet?
• How can I plan plant-based meals the whole family will love?
• Should I be concerned about getting adequate protein?

I have a really fun lesson plan made up, and I think it should be interesting for people on all ends of the spectrum, from the biggest carnivores to those who are already practicing a plant-based diet. If you can't make it to this class, I'm teaching yet another class on Sunday, March 16th from 2-3 pm at Sozo Fitness (6365 Saint Andrews Road, Columbia SC 29210). This class will review a holistic approach to digestive health. I'm really excited for this one, because so many people struggle with digestive issues, and conventional medical and nutrition advice is rarely helpful. There's so much new information out there just waiting to be disseminated to the public (and medical providers!). We'll cover the following topics...

• Fiber (basic, but you just can't teach a class on digestive health without it!)
• Prebiotics and probiotics
• Fermented foods
• Low FODMAPS diet - a new dietary approach to managing IBS that has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms in 75% of IBS sufferers
• Gluten-free diets and who can benefit
• The mind-body connection in digestive health

Each class is only $15 (cash or check). I really hope that some of my readers can come, because it really would be wonderful to meet you in person and put a face to the google analytics!

Pumpkin Black Bean Patties

Serves 4

2 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked chili powder (or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup cooked and cooled brown rice
15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/3 cup oat flour
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Place garlic, scallions, pumpkin, olive oil, chili powder, salt and cumin in a food processor and blend until well combined. Add the rice and beans and pulse a few times to combine. Don't let it become a paste - you still want chunks of beans and rice in there. Add the flaxseed and oat flour and pulse to combine.

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Make 4 patties. Fry in coconut oil for 3 minutes per side. Serve as desired.