The recipe is only slightly modified from The Kitchn’s Best-Ever Veggie Burger (recipe here).
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 30 min (not included roasting the beats and cooking the rice)
Cook Time: 15 min
Ingredients:
3 large red beets (cooked-roasted, steamed, or boiled)
1/2 cup brown rice (slightly overcooked)
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (ground to a flour in a blender or food processor)
4 cups black beans (or 2 15 oz cans), drained and rinsed
1/4 cup prunes, chopped into small pieces.
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp brown mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried thyme
pepper to taste
Instructions:
Cook the onions in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Use a little water as needed to avoid sticking, and cook well until golden with a little caramelization on the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then quickly ad the vinegar and stir the bottom to deglaze the skillet. cook until the vinegar evaporates and then set aside to cool.
Put half the black beans and the prunes into a food processor and pulse until they are chopped, but not total mush. Put this mixture into a large mixing bowl, and add the remaining black beans. Shred the beats, and press in a strainer to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Add the dry shredded beets, cooked rice, and cooked onions, paprika, mustard, cumin, coriander, and thyme, and black pepper to the mixture. Mix it a little and then add the oats, and mix well. I started with a spoon, but was really only able to get it all combined well with my hands…
Shape mixture into patties, and cook on a pre-heated skillet with a very light spray of cooking oil, to prevent sticking. The burgers cook well, and I was surprised at how well they stayed together.
Serve them on Food for Life sprouted whole grain buns (found here) with whatever toppings you like and enjoy with a big healthy side salad, and maybe some home made oven baked sweet potato fries!
Make them fun!
Cathy and I got together with our friends Leigh Ann, Josh, Chris, and our kids, and had a great time making and eating these. We made a triple batch, which was a lot of work, mostly because of how much of everything we had to prep, mix and then cook. It was also too much food. I think we ended up eating 8 burgers total, and split the remaining 10 or so that were left. They do freeze well though, and I have been enjoying them ever since! A single batch will still be a lot of work, but should not be overwhelming, and I think it is well worth it. Next time I’ll try to add some chopped mushrooms to up the nutrition factor even a little more.
