Month of Meatless Meals: Southwest Pinto Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayo (from Cooking Light)

This is one of my favorite meatless meals. It is pretty spicy (which we like around here), but you can tone it down by leaving out the jalapenos. I usually wait to add the jalapenos and set some aside for my kids without them. The recipe says to partially mash the beans with a fork, but I find that this is inadequate for getting these to stick together; I suggest mashing the beans seperately and then adding them to the mix. Make sure your oil is hot and don't go anywhere, I have burned these more than once. If they fall apart, don't worry about it, just scope them on the bun (or on your plate) and keep going. Let me know what you think!

Also, if you are a vegan, let me know if you have any suggestions for a substitute for the egg (it serves to make it stick together) or you could try it without the egg and let me know how it comes out.

SOUTHWEST PINTO BEAN BURGERS:

Featuring fresh cilantro, jalapeños, and corn kernels, these hearty bean burgers are made even more memorable with a tongue-tingling chipotle mayo.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
Burgers:
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained
Chipotle Mayonnaise:
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon canned minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
Remaining ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 (1 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
4 romaine lettuce leaves
Preparation
To prepare burgers, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pinto beans and corn; partially mash with a fork. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
To prepare chipotle mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon chipotle in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated. Place patties on bottom halves of buns; top each patty with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf, and top half of bun.

Have fun!