Southwestern Chipotle Pinto Bean Burgers

I know what you are thinking--who wants to eat something called a 'pinto bean burger'? I'd like to suggest that you consider it, as it was by far the tastiest veggie burger I've ever made (and I have tried a lot of them). It was easy to put together, can be assembled ahead, and so flavorful with the chipotle mayo. Everything is good with chipotle mayo, right? I ate one leftover for lunch the next day and it was just as good...which leads me to suspect that they might even work from the freezer. I'll have to try it next time.

Southwest Pinto Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

-adapted from cookwithjennifer.wordpress.com

For the burger:

• 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 and rinsed
• 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained

For the Chipotle Mayonnaise:

• 1/2 c. low-fat mayonnaise
•  2 t. canned minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce (or do what I did--substitute 1/2 t. chipotle chili powder--much easier and totally awesome!)

Remaining ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted (I used sandwich thins, which I think made for a better balance of textures)
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves, or whatever greens you have on hand (I had some baby kale washed up from our salad the night before, so that's what I used)

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, or longer. Don't skip this step. You want the burgers to firm up a bit. I made mine during my daughter's nap time and then they were ready to go at dinner time.

To prepare chipotle mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and chipotle or powder 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 generous spread of mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf/greens ofyour choice, and top half of bun.