The Hungry Reporter: Black bean vegan veggie burgers that pack a flavorful punch
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Finding a veggie burger with less than a dozen ingredients, that doesn't crumble and is pleasing to everyone at the dinner table is harder than you would think.
My boyfriend had some of our friends over for dinner last Wednesday. On the menu for the meat eaters was grilled sliced beef tenderloin on toasted buns with grilled vegetables and potatoes and onions.
What I was going to eat for a main dish was a big question mark until the afternoon when I was searching for a simple, quick and promising vegan veggie burger recipe.
I have a veggie burger recipe from The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon, but it has several ingredients and a bit more time consuming and labor intensive -- and that was not a combo we were looking for.
This is what myself and my friend and co-worker, Alison, came up with for veggie burger criteria:
-- Simple, not a ton of ingredients
-- Easy and quick to make
-- Stays together
-- Flavorful
In the end, I found a bean and oats burger recipe from Holy Cow Vegan (Can we just pause and admire that website name?) and modified it slightly to fit our needs.
A lot of veggie burgers out there, store bought and homemade, can be really bland. You need a recipe that will fill you up and pack a flavorful punch.
I am happy to say this veggie burger recipe was a hit with everyone.
People snacked on the cooked patties before dinner was ready to be served and after when we were filled to the brim. I ate these for lunch and dinner the next few days. They were so good.
You can sprinkle pieces of this burger on a salad, eat it plain, slap it on a bun -- whatever your heart desires. These can certainly standalone with all the flavor.
I put tomato, lettuce, onion and avocado on a toasted bun and was more than content.
These are better than any other veggie burger I have had, store bought or homemade.
VEGGIE BURGERS
Cook time: 15 minutes
Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings: 9
INGREDIENTS
-- 15 ounce can black beans
-- 15 ounce can pinto beans
-- 2 to 2.5 cups oatmeal oats
-- 1 medium carrot, grated or finely sliced
-- 2 cloves garlic
-- 1 onion, diced
-- 2 tablespoons ketchup
-- 2 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce
-- 2 tablespoons mustard
-- 3 teaspoons chili powder
-- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
-- Toppings for your burgers (lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, etc.)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent.
2. As that cooks, add in the carrot as you slice or grate it.
3. Once the carrots become tender, add the chili powder and cumin to the pan and mix it together until all carrots are tender. Remove this from the heat.
4. Mash the pinto and black beans in a large bowl.
You can use a large spoon to do this. Some people use a blender. You do not want it to be a puree. I prefer a utensil, like a spoon, because it keeps in some lumps. It is a little more work, but it is goes quickly.
5. Add the onion mixture, mustard, ketchup, tamari and oats.
Gradually add the oats. Some recipes require you to turn the oats into a flour by running through a food processor. I used them whole, primarily because I don't have a food processor, and I really think either way is fine because the oats break a bit as you stir.
You want the mixture to have a good consistency so the patties stay together. Add more oats if you feel it is warranted.
6. Heat a cast-iron or nonstick pan. We used a cast-iron pan.
7. Place the patties on the pan and cook until each side is golden and crispy. I like mine to be a little squishy on the inside and cooked each patty for about 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Snack away or slap on a toasted bun, load it with toppings and chow down.
As always, buen provecho!
Reporter and food columnist Andrea Anderson has been with GazetteXtra since 2013. Have a topic you would like her to discuss? A recipe you would like her to try? Cooking suggestions? Email her at [email protected], find her on Twitter at @AndreaEAnderson or follow her on Instagram at @andreaelinanderson.