Black bean burgers and fruity cucumber salsa

Double whammy recipe post for you today! That doesn’t often happen.

I had originally thought to post as two separate recipes but then decided they’d work best together. So here you go.

The burger recipe is very similar to other bean burger recipes I’ve posted. Such as these Mexican burgers and these black bean burgers, whereas the salsa is a totally new concoction.

The inspiration for the salsa came from this post by Kathy at Healthy Happy life. It looked so simply and perfect for the BBQ I was going to at my friends a couple of weekends ago (when the weather was actually nice!) She also got me into the bean burger mindset too so then I scouted around for a new spin on the idea for those and loved this simple concept by No Meat Athlete.

This salsa is a lovely light BBQ side and my non-vegan friends were all seen adding a dollop to their plate! It’s sweet and refreshing in equal measures and it got me into a cucumber frame of mind- I have some more cucumber ideas up my sleeve for next week too!

P.S Barbequed plantains...amazing! Try them if you haven't already!

Recipe: cucumber pineapple salsa
Inspired by Healthy Happy Life

Makes approx 2 ½ cups worth

Ingredients:

1 tbs tahini (or use cashew butter)

2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup diced cucumber

1 cup fresh diced pineapple (drain a little of the liquid if very wet)

2 tsp sesame seeds

1 tbs chopped fresh mint

Method:

Mix the lemon juice with the tahini and then mix through the cucumber and pineapple chunks, adding the sesame seeds and chopped mint last.

Serve chilled and eat within one day.

Recipe: Black bean beet burgers- mk 2

Inspired by No Meat Athlete

Makes approx 8 burgers

Ingredients:

1 onion- finely chopped

1-2 cloves garlic- crushed

1 cup sweet potato- grated

1/3 cup beetroot- grated

1 tsp oil (I used melted coconut)

1 ½ cup cooked black beans

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbs tomato puree

1 tbs fresh herbs (I used rosemary)

1 tbs ground flax or chia

1 cup cooked quinoa (or brown rice)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Prepare the black beans and quinoa as necessary and set aside (mine were already cooked and frozen so I just defrosted them).

Stir fry the onion, garlic, sweet potato and beetroot in the oil for 5 minutes until softening.

Add the remaining ingreodmets and poulse through lightly to kix but keep some chunky bits, the mixture should be sticky but hold together well.

Form into flattened patties and place on a lined baking sheet. Brush a little extra oil on each side.  Bake at 200C for approx 30 minutes until golden. Note: I baked mine for approx 20 mins and finished them off on the BBQ

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Mexican bean burgers

As you read this post I will be battling my way across the Derbyshire countryside on a camping/hiking trip with friends this bank holiday weekend.

I’ve just bought myself my very first tent (having shared other peoples for many years) and it was of the pop up variety…. notorious for being difficult to pack down again once they’ve ‘sprung’ into shape. I popped it up on the garden lawn to give it a test run and thankfully it wasn’t too difficult…fingers crossed I manage to do it again at the end of the camping trip itself as a field full of bemused onlookers is not what I have in mind!

Back to food!

A BBQ was on my mind again as we’ll be hoping to have one or two during our trip (please don’t rain!) and so these burgers, that were the accompaniment to the BBQ sauce from earlier this week, came to mind. I may well whip up another batch to take with me.

The burgers with BBQ sauce were a match made in heaven! I do love a good veggie burger as they are always so versatile…served in buns, on salads, with cous-cous or quinoa, or even just served cold as finger food on their own. You can use any seasonings you wish, I simply went for a Mexican kick as the mood took me. The potato also holds them together nicely; see my notes below for choice of potato.

You can find more ideas for snacks and bbq sides here.

Recipe: Mexican bean burgers

Makes approx. 6 burgers

Ingredients

1 tin black beans (400g)

1 medium carrot- grated

1 small red onion- diced

2 cooked medium to large (fist sized) white or sweet potato (see note)

1 cup sweetcorn (I used frozen)

Seasonings to taste. I used 2tsp mix of cumin coriander and chilli. You could use fresh coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup chia seeds

¼- 1/3 cup gram flour or oats* (as needed to achieve burger patty consistency)

Method

Chop the potatoes into small cubes and cook for approx. 10 minutes until just tender.

Meanwhile prepare remaining wet ingredients and roughly mash together in a large bowl. Add seasonings and chia seeds and mix through.

Add the cooked potato to the bowl and mash into the mixture until you have a lumpy mixture. Depending upon the potatoes used (see note) the mixture may still be too wet to form into into firm patties. If so, mix gram flour or oats/oatmeal through until a firmer mixture is formed.

Using your hands form fist sized patties and place on a line baking sheet. Bake for approx. 20 minutes until golden turning once after 15 minutes (or bake for 5 mins to increase firmness and then finish of on BBQ like I did!)  Alternatively these could be pan fried- note I have not tried this method.

Potato note:  I used sweet potatoes which are softer and retain more moisture than regular potatoes. Make sure you allow all water to drain once cooked and using kitchen towel lightly ‘dry’ the potatoes to further reduce excess water. White potatoes are firmer and regular draining should be sufficient.

* for further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Carrot burgers

These carrot burgers came about as a moment of spontaneity on my birthday evening last week. I shared these burgers for dinner with my mum, who proclaimed (after having eaten it all up) ‘oh I should have really cooked for you since it’s your birthday’, oh well….bit late now! Not that I minded, I think about food all day long and am always excited to try out something new when the idea strikes, this particular moment in time was no exception…birthday or not!

I’d had a pretty full on day…well, with the birthday cake under my belt (er, quite literally) I was in the mood for more of a light bite in the evening, so I served these burgers with salad and a simple tahini sauce. The perfect balmy summer dinner (balmy summer…I wish!) You could serve with a side of couscous for a more substantial meal.

The other great thing about these burgers is that they are pretty quick and simple to throw together and I’m pretty sure they could be frozen, although I haven’t tried. Add in your own favourite blend of spices, I used a cajun mix for a warm Mexican kick. I have also used red palm oil (as I like the deep yellow colour it gave to coat the burgers, but other oils would be absolutely fine. I like to add beans to things…most things, sweet or savoury! Beans or chickpeas give great texture, act as a binding ingredient and provide a good source of protein, so are a great base for many burgers.

If you have a thing for burgers, these recipes might also take your fancy:

Quinoa burgers

Quinoa meat balls

Black bean beetburger

Sweet potato cakes

Recipe: Carrot burgers

Makes approx. 6 burgers (depending on size)

Ingredients- burgers

300g carrots

200g chickpeas

1 small onion

1 tbs tahini

1 tbs ‘spices’ (I used a Cajun mix)

Extra salt to taste

50g oatmeal

1 tbs chia or flax plus 2 tbs hot water

1 tbs red palm oil (or other oil) for frying

Ingredients- tahini sauce

50g yoghurt of choice (or cashew yoghurt as I used)

2 tsp tahini

2 tbs lemon juice

Method

Coarsely chop the carrot and onion in a food processor and then add the chickpeas, tahini and spices and roughly mash through. Transfer the mixture to a sauce pan and cook for approx. 10 minutes stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Once cooked, stir through the oatmeal and gelled chia/flax mixture. The mixture should be sticky but firm, if too sticky add a little more oatmeal. With wet hands form flat burger patties and fry them in a lightly oiled pan for a few minutes on each side until golden.

For the tahini sauce, mix all ingredients together well in a small bowl.

Drizzle burgers with tahini sauce and serve immediately.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Black bean beet burgers

Chant the title of this recipe over and over and you’ll have yourself a rap…or something of that sort! Either way these burgers are worth the chant (and the wait for those of you saw the sneaky picture I posted on my Facebook page when I’d first made them a week or so ago)

I know I still have a few recipes to share from my birthday post, and also another birthday related recipe (who doesn’t like to keep birthday’s alive for as long as possible?) but for today, I didn’t want to make you wait any longer for these burgers that have been grinning at me from the folder of photos on my computer desk top for too long!

Black bean beet burgers… Black bean beet burgers… Black bean beet burgers… Black bean beet burgers… Black bean beet burgers…

So I figure the title of this post gives them away rather but apart from having a slight purple tinge, I think they look pretty authentic, complete with chargrilled lines and all.  When I make these burgers again I may reduce the amount of beetroot slightly and also use a mix of cooked quinoa and rice for a variation in texture, since quinoa holds the firmness of the grain more so than rice which may be even more realistic for a meaty texture…just a couple of tiny thoughts to bear in mind, but here I have given you the recipe exactly as I made it.  It goes without saying that you could make a big batch and freeze some. You could also form balls and make meatballs…another variation on this theme.

Typically I don’t seek to replicate ‘meat’ in my meals, I simply don’t feel the need to and a just don’t miss it. I love the taste and textures that veggies and non-meat foods provide without trying to replicate meat…but this was simply a challenge I could not ignore. Plus I wanted to see how authentic I could make these, particularly for non- veggie friends. 

Another important side note to these burgers is that they are very ‘stable’ by that I mean they hold up very well to handling pre-cooking so I think they’d be great for a BBQ! I am definitely going to be making some of these this summer.  I found that the most authentic colouration came from part oven baking and part pan frying in a griddle to obtain the best colour and charred lines. The first batch I just oven baked and they tasted great but just lacked a little something in the visual department… me…perfectionist…never!

I teamed this meal with homemade tomato ketchup, cheezy mustard dip, avocado slices, and a homemade coleslaw. The burgers buns were simply baked versions of my gluten free flatbread with sesame sprinkled on top. Sweet potato fries sealed the deal! I have a recipe for the ketchup and cheezy mustard dip on the way soon….

Enjoy!

Recipe: Black bean beet burgers

Makes approx. 6 burgers

Ingredients

1 cup black beans- cooked

1 cup brown rice- cooked

1 cup oatmeal

1 small onion- finely sliced

1/3 cup cooked beetroot- shredded finely

2 tbs chia and 3 tbs water

2tbs tahini

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tsp mustard

Approx. ½ tsp hot chipoltle sauce (to taste)

1 tsp garlic powder

½  tsp chilli powder

½ tsp paprika

Method

Mash black beans and mix with all other ingredients until you have a well mixed but still textured (meaty) mixture. The mixture should be sticky but manageable.

Form into burger patties approx. 1.5cm thick using your hands or use a cookie cutter as a mould to achieve neat edges (perfectionist!). Lay the burgers on a lined baking sheet and bake for approx. 10 minutes until they are just beginning to brown and then fry on a griddle pan for a few minutes each side to complete the cooking and achieve seared pan lines.

Can be frozen.

This recipe was shared in Allegy Free Wednesday's

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Quinoa and chickpea burgers

I have a few basic principles that I try to keep in mind when I cook:

...Healthy without compromising on taste

...Indulgent without compromising health

...Simple meals that come together quickly

...Snacks and meals that can be made in bulk and frozen

...Recipes that are really versatile

So, with that in mind these Quinoa and Chickpea Burgers get their marks on the tick list. They provide a high protein hit, perfect for a vegan diet, are really simple to throw together, are suitable for freezing and could be dressed up in a variety of ways. Perfect for super speedy lunches or suppers, when I get in late from the gym.

I now make the process even simpler for myself as I cook and freeze batches of chickpeas and quinoa in bulk so I have always have them to hand, it’s also a much cheaper way than buying canned chickpeas or packets of pre-cooked quinoa (which I used to do for speed!)  I prepare a lot of my regularly used ingredients in bulk…I will elaborate on this is a separate post another time.

I sourced the original recipe here and actually made very few changes, other than adding a little leek and a few tweaks to spices.

These burgers held together really well and had a really lovely ‘substantial’ texture due to the quinoa grains. I served them with a simple tomato and basil salsa on a bed of stir fried courgette ribbons and spinach. They’d be equally at home in a bun, or made into small ‘meatballs’ with some spicier flavours….just made a mental note to try this!  I also had a leftover burger which I had cold the next day on its own as a snack, I think that may have been even better than the freshly cooked hot version!

These versatility of these quinoa burgers follow in the same vein as these sweet potato cakes and also these meat balls.

Recipe: Quinoa and chickpea burgers

Makes 4 medium patties (you could easily double this recipe)

Ingredients

1 ½ cup cooked quinoa

½ cup cooked mashed chickpeas

1 small onion or half a leek- finely chopped

1 rounded tbs ground chia or flax seed

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs fresh basil- chopped (or 1tsp dried)

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp garlic powder

4 tbs potato starch/tapioca flour (other starches should also work)

1 tbs mild oil for frying

Method

Dry fry the dried spices for approx. 2 minutes until the aromas are released.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Chill the mixture for approx. 30-60mins to allow to firm up and marinade

Uisng your hands, form patties approx. 1.5-2cm thick and fry for approx. 5 minutes on each side. To omit most of the oil, you could coat the outside in a very light covering of oil and bake them for approx. 15 minutes until golden (note: I haven’t yet tested this method)

 
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Sweet potato cakes

Yesterday, I met up with a friend for lunch. It was a nice treat as usually all my friends work during the week and so I just have Fridays to myself to do my ‘baking things’ along with all the self-development and learning I’m taking some time out to appreciate.

I had my Pilates class as usual first thing then met up with my friend late morning. The loveliest thing about it was that she cooked lunch for us both….vegan style.  It was great!

It’s so nice when I can share the way I eat with others and it not feel like they are just accommodating me. I think a lot of that has to do with me still feeling a little self-conscious at times when I’m out with others, when it’s not simply me cooking for myself.  I’ve still only been eating this way for a relatively short amount of time (just over a year) and so habits, routines and assumptions are hard to break and I do still sometimes feel as though I’m ‘putting people out’ when chances are they are more than willing to accommodate. When people get interested and excited to share the way I do things it is a great feeling.

So, Friday’s lunch was sweet potato cakes with spicy beans and tomato. The potato cake recipe recipe was modified to use sweet potato instead of regular potato and then veganised so as to not use the egg and butter that the original recipe called for. The butter was easy to sub with olive oil but the egg was proposed as a glaze to coat the cakes before coating in polenta and frying, however we figured that since the potato cakes were soft and sticky as they were, the egg wasn’t really necessary. For those of you who are not vegan feel free to add the egg.

The polenta coating gives a lovely crisp crunch. I have often used polenta (I use the quick cook variety) as part of my flour mix in my baking to give added crunch to cookies. These chocolate shortbread cookies are a great example.

The potato cakes were served with a spicy bean topping, based on this recipe from way back right at the beginning of this blog! (note- awful photo with my compact camera under the fluorescent kitchen light!). The potato cakes themselves are very versatile and could be used to top a salad, with a variety of different toppings or even mixed with beans and used as burger patties in a bun or pitta bread pocket with salad.

Here you have it… Sweet Potato Cakes, courtesy of Fatima Cassim.

Recipe: Sweet potato cakes

Ingredients

700g sweet potato- peeled and cubed

25g olive oil

1 onion- peeled and chopped

1 garlic clove- peeled and crushed

Pinch each of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

50g quick cook polenta

2 tbs mild oil

Method

Cook the sweet potato for approx. 15 minutes until soft. Drain and mash well.

Add the olive oil, onion and garlic to a saucepan and cook for 5-10 minutes until soft. Add  the mashed sweet potato to the pan along with the seasoning. Stir together until mixed thoroughly.

Allow to cool before shaping into 4 circular patties approx. 1 inch thick. Coat in a generous, even layer of polenta. Refrigerate for approx. 30 minutes.

Heat a mild oil (such as rapeseed) in a frying pan and cook the potato cakes for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden.

Serve with your desired topping or sides.

 
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.