Mince garlic (you should get 1 tablespoon) and dice onion (you should get ~1 cup). Add both of those ingredients, along with ½ a small can of diced green chiles, to a pan with some oil and sautee until fragrant, or about 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool.
Finely dice a red pepper and grate a peeled carrot. Drain a can of sweet corn (or thaw frozen corn) and measure out 1 cup. Chop cilantro very finely.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked mixture, diced red pepper, grated carrot, corn, and cilantro.
Drain and rinse a can of black beans, and roughly mash them.
Add the mashed black beans, bread crumbs, oats (you can chop old fashioned oats), eggs, sunflower seeds, and spices to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Using your clean hands or a mixing spoon, combine all ingredients well.
Refrigerate the veggie burger dough for 30 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to meld and bind the dough together.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Use the lid of a mason jar or the lid of a peanut butter container lined with saran wrap to shape 18-20 veggie burgers.
Bake the burgers for 15 minutes, and then flip them and bake for another 10 minutes until firm and crispy.
NOTES:
To freeze: Let the burgers cool and stack them in a freezer ziplock bag with parchment paper layered in between to avoid sticking (see the first picture in this post for reference). Remove the extra air from the bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To defrost: Microwave veggie burgers for 30 seconds on each side, or reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until warm throughout.
