ALAN'S VEGETARIAN VEGAN BEAN AND RICE BURGER MASHUP

Steps:

• 1) Soak beans in a large pot, covered (quick soak method: bring to boil, then turn off the heat, leave covered for 1 1/2 hours).
• 2) Drain beans and refill pot with fresh water, cover, bring to a boil again, simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Drain again and let cool at room temperature for at least 5-10 minutes (don't worry about using warm water, we aren't worried about keeping the beans in tact).
• 3) About halfway through the cook time for the beans, start cooking the brown rice. Add 4 cups of water and 2 cups rice to a pot, covered. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-40 minutes (or as directed on package).
• 4) Combine all seasonings and breadcrumbs in a large bowl (I combined the seasoning in one bowl to mix it, then divided it between 3 large bowls to prepare for the large amount of food this makes).
• 5) Once both the rice and beans have cooled enough to be able to mix by hand, combine the beans and rice (I found that the large pot I used for the beans had enough room to add and mix up the rice).
• 6) Combine all of the dry seasoning with the beans and rice mixture (or if you split the seasoning up between multiple bowls, split up equal amounts of the bean and rice mixture into each bowl).
• 7) Start mashing! I start off using a potato masher, but always end up using my hands to get the beans and rice mashed up enough. Slowly add the picante sauce until you get the right texture for you (I prefer at least 2 pounds in this recipe, use less for a tougher/dryer mix).