Happy Veggie Burger Day!
A go-to veggie burger treat and a couple new spins that might be as sweet!
Happy Saturday, love!
How have you been? What have you been eating?
Brain fog has been the overarching theme of the week for me. I wasn't even sure I'd be able to get an issue out this week, but then I remembered that today is Veggie Burger Day! If you didn’t know, now you know, June 5th is Veggie Burger Day and I just couldn't leave you hanging. Especially because I have a ton of amazing veggie burger recipes. Chief amongst them is my black bean quinoa burger. It is my go-to recipe when I've got an urge for a burger. It's meaty and unctuous, doesn't quite taste like bacon (see quote above), but you won't miss the meat!
Without further adieu, let's get cooking!
I love a meaty vegan burger and I love to experiment with combinations. Black bean burgers have been my favorite so far. I am not a huge fan of prepackaged vegan patties or meat replacements so I spend A LOT of time seeing what works for me and my family. My recipes always start with a leftover this or that or whatever is in the fridge because food cannot waste. When I made these burgers I had a mix of black beans, roasted eggplant and quinoa in the fridge and used it to achieve this meaty delight. If you have other veg feel free to throw it in. I love broccoli and peppers mixed into my veggie mince sometimes too. So get creative. Depending on the texture, I’d recommend blitzing or chopping down all of your ingredients so that they can easily be incorporated in a burger like you would when using meat.
What you’ll need(Makes 6-8 patties):
2 cups of precooked or canned black beans
1 1/2 cup parboiled quinoa
1 medium to large eggplant
1 clove of garlic
Chinese five spice powder
Cumin,
Paprika,
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Culantro (aka chadon beni or recao)
Liquid smoke (optional)
Ketchup
What You’ll Need to do…
#1 Prep your veg
Dice up a medium to large eggplant (wash well and leave on the skin). Put it on a larger tray. Season with Chinese five spice powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic and onion powder. NO salt.
Salt draws the water out of eggplant so, if they are baked with salt we risk them steaming in the oven and we want these pieces to dry out. They will add unbelievable texture to our burger.
Shove them in the oven at 300 until they begin to crisp and brown. Do NOT burn them.
While your eggplant crisps, get your precooked or canned black beans drained and rinsed.
Take out your parboiled quinoa and set aside. You want it to be room temp when you add it to your other ingredients.
Once your eggplant is out of the oven and slightly cooled, its time to start your burger mix.
#2 The Burger Patty…
Add the eggplant and the beans to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture is the consistency of a chunky paste.
In a bowl, combine your paste with the parboiled quinoa and season to taste. I add a tiny bit of culantro or recao, paprika, grated garlic, a tiny drop of liquid smoke (the tiniest of tiny) and a splash of soy sauce.
Form patties and refrigerate for 25 minutes or overnight, if you've got time. These patties hold up MUCH better after refrigeration.
When ready to prepare add a touch of oil to your frying or grill pan. Add your patty and lightly season with sea salt (like 4 grains) and black pepper. Fry until each side is browned.
#3 The Bun and Fixings
Add your patty to your toasted bun (non-toasted buns are pure trash...don't @me.)
I like a little burger sauce which is honey mustard and ketchup mixed together as well as a grilled tomato slice and pickled onions. Sometimes, a slice of vegan cheddar works but they are so hard to melt (as seen in the photo below)! If you're not a vegan. Add a slice of your fave melting cheese.
Rinse and repeat. Feast until you cannot feast anymore.
Other Veggie Burgers You Might Like…
If you don’t love black beans, my fave local Trini food blog, Eat Ah Food just published a vegan lentil burger you might want to try.
If you like plant-based meat subs, I have a burger recipe that combines black beans with beyond meat sausages for a porkier but still delicious option.
Welp! Happy Veggie Burger Day to you and yours! That’s all I got, ain’t go no more. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. If you have a veggie burger recipe that you love, do share with us on our socials (see below).
If you have a friend or family member that would love our weekly adventures in plant-based cooking help them out with a subscription to Recipe’d premiere. If that person is you, what are you waiting for?
Until we cook together again, eat your veggies—esp. in a burger!
XOXO,
Mel
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