You may remember me saying in a post a while back that veggie burgers are my favorite thing to cook. That’s because homemade is always better than store-bought, and I have found a number of fun ways to prepare them. This recipe combines ingredients from 3 of my favorites. It’s quick and absolutely delicious! The final product is firm to the bite, and you get to decide whether to bake them (takes longer, but healthier) or fry them (quicker & makes them taste closer to a regular burger.)
You also get to choose how to eat them: on a bun, in a lettuce wrap, as a fillet, or my favorite way: broken up over a salad. Crumbling one of these burgers over a bed of romaine & adding brown rice, avocado, and red onion with a bit of Himalayan salt makes my heart, and my belly, happy!
Beans (or legumes, really, including lentils, chickpeas, & soybeans) are almost daily fare in our house. Besides the fact that they are versatile & tasty, they are super healthy. As vegans, we get much of our protein and iron from beans. They are also loaded with fiber, folate, magnesium, and potassium. A publication out of North Dakota State University explains that due to their high concentration of health-promoting nutrients, consuming more beans in the American diet could improve overall health and also decrease the risk of developing certain diseases, including heart disease, obesity and many types of cancers.
I hope you’ll give the recipe a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Yield: 6 burgers
Ingredients (use organic or non-GMO whenever possible)
1 cup cooked pinto beans, drained, liquid reserved
1 cup cooked black beans, drained
3 shallots, minced
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup oat flour
2 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp Himalayan salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Avocado oil for baking or frying
fixings for eating on a bun or salad
Directions
Place beans in a large bowl, smashing about 2/3 of them with a potato masher. Add the next 9 ingredients (through smoked paprika.) Mix the ingredients together, first with a spatula, and then with very clean hands. If the mixture feels too dry, add some of the reserved bean liquid, a little at a time, until the mixture is burger-worthy. Test for salt, adding more if needed.
Form 6 burgers with slightly wet hands and either:
-place on an oiled baking tray and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, turning them over at the halfway point, or
-fry in a bit of oil for 8 – 10 minutes on medium heat, flipping after the first 4 – 5 minutes.
If you’re eating on buns, add ketchup, tomato, onion, lettuce, & avocado to reach burger nirvana, and make it a heavenly meal with spiced, roasted potatoes. Enjoy!
The content of this article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care professional before acting on any information presented herein. Any statements about the possible health benefits of any subject discussed have not been evaluated by medical professionals or the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.
Micro of the Macro 