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.

Mega meatball sub

A couple of weekends ago on a ‘lazy’ Saturday morning (I do try but I just can’t do ‘lazy’ as I just end up being fidgety if I sit still for too long!) the boy set me a challenge ‘can you make me a meatball sub’ ….(wait there’s more)…. ‘but not just any meatball sub, I want vegan meatballs with marinara sauce, jalapeno peppers, caramelised onions and sweetcorn, all wrapped up in a nice big homemade sub roll’

Ok- the challenge was set! First I needed to do my research and figure out a healthy, tasty fool-proof ‘meat’ ball recipe.  The one I settled on was based on a recipe by 'My Vegan Cookbook'  with a few minor tweaks of my own.

It took me most of the morning but we got there in time for lunch. Oh yeah it was good!!  I had made a double batch of everything (except the veg) so I had leftovers to freeze for ‘round two’ another time.  The meatballs are great to freeze so I’d encourage you to make the full batch as below (or even double) and freeze the remainder for a quick and easy spaghetti dish at another time. There is also a fair bit of work involved in pre-cooking the rice and lentils, another good reason to make a big batch! 

Recipe: vegan ‘meatballs’

Serves 4

Makes approx. 12 balls

Ingredients

½ cup cooked lentils

1 cup cooked brown rice

¼ cup oats

1/3 cup wheatgerm

1 tbs ground flax

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs oilve oil

2 tsp lemon juice

1/3 cup wholemeal spelt flour (or standard wholemeal flour)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

a pinch of nutmeg

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp parika/cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp molasses (increase this to 2 tsp if you like a stronger taste but personally I find it overpowering)

2 tsp mustard

1 tsp smoky chipotle pepper sauce (gives the balls a spicy smoky kick but don’t worry if you can’t get hold of it)

Method

Mix everything together in a large bowl. Mixture should be sticky but manageable. From apricot sized balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 180C for 25- 30 minutes turning over half way through.

For frozen meatballs, place on a baking sheet and cook at 180C for approx. 20 minutes straight from the freezer.