2 cups chopped fresh spinach (try with bok choi as well!)

1 cup chopped onion

3 cups cooked kidney beans or 2-15 ounce can

1/2 cup cooked brown rice (use leftovers if you have)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon liquid smoke (optional; located near BBQ sauce in the store)

2 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons oregano

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

black pepper to taste

1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

Warm the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. Add the spinach and onion to a food processor and pulse until they are in tiny pieces. Add the kidney beans, rice, garlic, liquid smoke, soy sauce, and seasonings and pulse until everything is all mixed up. It’s fine if a few larger pieces of the beans hang around but you want this looking paste-like. Place the bean-spinach mixture into a medium bowl and add in the breadcrumbs. This should be slightly sticky and hold nicely when you form it into a ball. If it is too wet, add more breadcrumbs. Taste it and add more spices and whatever until it tastes good to you.

Divide the mixture into 16 patties if you are making sliders or 8 patties if you are making regular burgers. Place them on the baking sheet, spray them lightly with and bake for 15 minutes or until the bottom is a crispy golden brown. Flip the patties and bake for 15 minutes or until both sides look browned. If you are doing full size burgers you might need to let the sides go 5 extra minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before serving. Pile on any toppings you like and enjoy!