Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers
karla rodas
Makes 8 manly-sized burgers that will even satisfy the meat eaters in the family!
Ingredients:
2 (15 ounce) cans organic black beans, rinsed and drained (or use a 16 oz can of organic refried black beans and a can of whole black beans)
1/2 cup quinoa (cooked according to basic directions, 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water, season with salt and garlic powder) Always good to have some extra for the rest of the week
1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons onion, grated
a handful of finely chopped cilantro
1 large clove garlic, minced or sub garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
a dash of smoked paprika
a splash of Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs (vegan subs—flax seed “egg”) for the binder
A little olive oil
Indoor or outdoor gill or pan
Toppings: Go cray here with all your fave burger go-to’s. I love some grilled onions, mushrooms, AVOs, lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese (vegan if you’re not having dairy), guac, salsa, mayo and ketchup…Whip up a quickie Chipotle Mayo for some spice
Like any true home cook, I use what I have at home and improvise. I found a recipe online to use as a basic guide then I made it my own. I had an epic fail on a previous attempt at making these burgers because I subbed corn meal for bread crumbs (no bueno). All the while, I had bread crumbs in the pantry hidden behind my pack rat stash of dry goods. GRRRRRRRRR!!!!! So….round 2.
I had a can of refried black bean and another can of black beans and kept them whole for texture. Decided to use the refried black beans because it cut down on my prep time. I combined all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. The quinoa makes it less dense and gives it some texture. The last ingredient to go in were the eggs that I mixed separately in a small bowl. I don’t like the egg shell crunch, personally, lol.
I took off my wedding ring to make the patties. TIP: Do yourself a fave and put it somewhere safe away from the sink!!!!! I coated my hands with a little olive oil to form the patties. TIP: Have everything ready before you do this. I figured this out after I made the first burger and I felt that it needed some more bread crumbs. It made for an extra step and hand-washing. I also had a baking sheet ready for the burgers and my grill pan heating up on the stove.
I made a healthy sized patty because I wanted it to be appealing and also not too thick so that it would cook evenly. I also have some healthy young men to feed and I knew that the size would be satisfying to their eyes and bellies. They would never miss the meat!
This mixture yielded 8 burgers. I laid them out on the sheet pan then onto my indoor grill pan on the stove. Hubby wasn’t home to grill them up for me. Next time, I’ll see how they hold up on the grill. I did have to place them gingerly on the pan so that they wouldn’t fall apart. I cooked them for about 5 minutes or so on the first side, then flipped them over carefully. The outer crust was golden perfection. I cooked them on the second side for a few more minutes until they looked like they were cooked through. I grilled the onions alongside the burgers to save a pan and time.
Once they were done, I placed them on a large plate and they were ready to garnish.
We opted to go bunless so I served them up on a bed of kale salad. For sides, we had some roasted potatoes and Brussel sprouts. The meat lovers in the house loved these, btw!
Burger topped with a little chipotle mayo and grilled onions