My mission in life is, apparently, to turn every food that I like into a whole-food-ified veggie burger.  I do this because any ingredient combination will become both adorably portable and generally welcomed by humanity once put into burger form.  Today, I made a burger out of macaroni and cheese, so I should probably be ashamed of myself.  

Thing is, these are so much healthier than they sound.  They're mostly beans, yet there's so much surface area on them that the cheese on the top and bottom of each one gets crispy in the same delicious way as the top of a pan of regular mac and cheese.  The whole grain couscous, which is a miniscule little form of pasta, steps in as the 'macaroni' and blends right into the burger.  Dropped onto a slice of whole grain bread, topped with some crispy, fresh vegetables and served with sauteed spinach, they're about as nutritious a context as macaroni and cheese has seen in awhile.          

For extra zing, feel free to add a few cloves of minced garlic and/or some red pepper flakes to the mixture.    

Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  25 Minutes
Yield: Four Burgers
1/3 Cup Uncooked Whole Wheat Couscous
1 Tsp Olive Oil
¾ Tsp Sea Salt, divided
1-3/4 Cups Cooked Cannellini Beans (or 1 Can, drained and rinsed)
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, preferably organic
1/3 Cup Whole Grain Panko Bread Crumbs (or whatever kind you’ve got)
Ground Black Pepper, to taste
A Very Generous Pinch of Nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Generously grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and set aside. 
Bring ½ cup of water to a boil.  Stir in olive oil, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and the couscous.  Immediately cover, remove from heat, and let it sit for five minutes.  Fluff with a fork when done. 
In a large bowl, combine couscous with remaining ingredients, including the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.  Mash all of it together with your hands until most of the beans are smashed and everything is well combined. (And may I suggest not mixing in the breadcrumbs as well, so that they end up in only some of the bites-- like a little surprise?) Divide into four parts and form into flat patties.  Place the patties onto the greased cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes, flipping about halfway through. 
Serve on a whole grain bun or whole grain toast with a slice of tomato, sprouts, baby spinach or whatever other fresh vegetables you’ve got.