Beet and Bean Burgers

 

I'm not really sure why, but lately I have been having pretty intense cravings for burgers. 

Now I'm not really the kind of person who gets many food cravings, though if I physically see and smell something delicious you'd better believe it is taking all of my willpower to not take down who ever is in possession of said delicious item and cram it into my face hole. But the feeling usually passes pretty quickly and I am free to continue on with life.

Not so lately. For whatever reason my mind has become clouded with dreams of chunky patties, crisp lettuce and creamy sauce. I have been dreaming of rolling on the floor making burger angels as I laugh like a demented person. Whenever I enter a restaurant I quickly flick to the burgers/sandwiches section and by god there had better be a veggie burger on there or a whole storm of negative yelp reviews are going to be raining on that poor, unsuspecting establishment. 

Whatever the cause (hakuna your tatas Mum! it is most definitely not one of THOSE sorts of cravings!), when I found my self thinking "Oh, that Krabby Pattie looks pretty good..." I knew something had to be done.

Enter the Beet and Bean Burger.

If you look up vegan burger recipes you will find that many of these feature beetroots and some variety of beans and for good reason. Beans provide the perfect burger base, giving body and protein to the pattie which would usually be played by the role of Mr. meat. As well as giving it a kick-ass colour, beetroots provide a huge amount of moisture to keep that pattie succulent even while the outside is being crisped and just seems to add an earthiness and enhance all the other flavours you are adding in. 

I happened to stumble across this recipe from The Minimalist Baker  which sounded (and looked) ammmmazing so I decided to create my own version, changing up the flavours and adding a few extra bits and pieces. 

Let me tell you: my burger cravings = 100% satisfied!

So tasty and full of veggies, I served my pattie with the usual burger accompaniments - think wholegrain bun, fresh salad, creamy avocado and crispy potato chips! 

I would 100% recommend you give it a go and let me know what you think and if you have ever considered turning tricks to Mr. Krabs for a burger bite. 

Beet and Bean Burgers

(Makes about 6 patties)

1/2 zucchini, grated

1/2 raw beetroot, grated

1/4 cup corn

1 cup cooked quinoa

425g black beans, crushed with a masher or fork

1/2 brown onion, very finely chopped

1/2 cup kale, finely chopped

 1/4 cup almond meal (may need more or less depending on moisture)

 1 tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Thrown everything into a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix and bring together until well combined. 

If you feel the mix is to wet to hold together add a little extra almond meal to soak up some of that excess liquid. 

Take large handfuls of the mixture and form into patties. Spread them over baking trays lined with non-stick paper and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside, very gently flipping at about the halfway mark (they are fragile and will break if you try an aggressive, pancake style flip so COOL YOUR JETS and be gentle!). 

Eat are they are, served with a salad or sitting atop a burger buns crammed with salad and topped with some creamy mashed avocado (plus crispy baked potato chips/fries because CARBS).

  

  

Footy Finals Food!

The end of September is once again upon us and (if your in Australia) you know what that means!

Football  Finals! Woo!

Typically this involves a sacred ritual of hanging out with friends, drinking copious amounts of alcohol and soft drinks and downing truckloads of various 'dude foods'. You know the stuff; sausage rolls, chips, pies etc. - pretty much anything highly processed and generally containing some part of a pig you don't really want to think about...

This year I decided to break the trend.

I wanted something to munch on while yelling at the TV which wouldn't leave me rolling on the floor feeling sick afterwards. Seriously, feeling that way after watching pro athletes running around in all their fitness glory is just a recipe for a self-loathing!


So, if you too want to enjoy the finals season without the grease, check out this gluten and dairy free, vegan burger! Delicious, nutritious and will give you the energy kick needed to go and kick a footy at half time.

Om nom nom!

  

These veggie burgers are so quick and easy to make and totally scream FRESH and HEALTHY. I mean seriously, I went to my backyard to raid my herb pots and couldn't help but admire how gorgeous a thing fresh produce is.   

 

  




In addition to these gorgeous herbs, these burgers are also jam-packed with chickpeas which will keep you feeling full, are full of fibre and protein and can also help the lower cholesterol. What's not to love! 

 

The thing with recipes like this is also that they give you the ability to throw in whatever flavours you fancy and can easily mix them up to suit your dietary needs. I served my burgers in between two grilled field mushrooms instead of a bun but you could use a bread roll if you prefer or simply eat the patties by themselves as a quick snack. It's totally up to you!

Vegan Chickpea Burgers

2 1/2 cups chickpeas, cooked 
1/4 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 red onion, roughly sliced
3 cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup firmly packed herbs (I used a mix of parsley, mint and coriander)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 
Salt and Pepper, to taste 
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
 

Using the pulse setting on a food processor (or just blitzing in short bursts) process the chickpeas until well chopped but not so much that it becomes a smooth paste! Scrape the chickpeas into a medium sized mixing bowl. Alternatively you can use the back of a fork to mash the chickpeas.


Put the garlic,onion, lemon, herbs and cumin in the food processor and again blitz until well chopped

Add the herb mix to the chickpeas along with the quinoa flakes and season with salt and pepper and use you hands to combine

Grab tennis ball-sized hand fulls of the mixture and shape into individual patties 

Heat a small amount of oil in a fry pan over high heat and fry the patties for about 3-5 minutes each side or until they are nicely browned 



And that's it! 

You can eat them as they are or serve them as a burger. For mine I used two grilled mushrooms as my bun and added some fresh baby spinach, sliced radish and a big dollop of natural yogurt with a squeeze of lemon over the top!  


 

Enjoy! xo