I love a great veggie burger, but I do find the ones I make at home are always the best. This one is loaded with flavor and packed with nutrition. By combining flavorful cranberry beans with sweet potato, beet, brown rice, walnut, shallot and the umami of shiitake with a combination of strong spices, this burger hits all of the flavors you want from a burger (even for traditional burger lovers). It’s a little smoky, a little spicy and a little sweet. My hubbie, the omnivore, who craves a great “real” burger, loves this one! By making great food, his diet has become more plant based without any push back. You may even plan ahead for this one and batch cook some of these wonderful components in advance, streamlining prep when you want to make this and getting more than one meal from your efforts. These were actually born from left overs from a batch cooking session. These burger patties may also be made in advance and cooked the next day. You may also layer them with wax paper and freezes them.

I always love a great veggie burger for a fun family meal, but we also enjoy this one with a great bottle of wine! This burger is ideal for a cozy date night or a fun casual meal with friends and pairs beautifully with a great red wine. If not vegan, too it with with Gorgonzola or your choose a vegan cheese. Whip up your own version of a “special sauce” (maybe your favorite bbq sauce with a touch of mayo) to add a little something extra special!

RECIPE

Favorite Veggie Burger

Makes 8 large burgers, 10 average or 12 sliders (extra patties may be frozen) These may also be made into vegan meatballs.

Notes-

make sure to allow steam to escape from cooked ingredients before combining. You don’t want to add too much moisture. I like to spread the beans out on a clean tea towel to oat fry or I spread on a baking sheet and pop them 275Foven for about 10-15 mins.

you may also used baked sweet potato but do remember to slice it open so the steam may escape while it cools

Ingredients-

1 cup dry Cranberry Beans, soaked overnight (you may substitute any bean or chick peas)

1 medium carrot, cut into large chunks

2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks

1 shallot, rough chopped

(note: canned beans may be subtituted)

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6-8 oz. sweet potato, peeled, cubed and roasted

½ cup chopped walnuts (sunflower seeds may easily be substituted or added in addition to)

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

3 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sautéed

1 large shallot plus 1 clove garlic, sautéed until caramelized

3 oz. roasted beets (optional) (the vacuum sealed ones are great if you don’t want to roast your own)

1 cup cooked short grain brown rice (quinoa may be used as well)

2 Tbs tomato paste (or ketchup)

3 Tbs flax meal

2 tsp sea salt

½+ tsp fresh ground black pepper

½-1 tsp smoked paprika (to taste)

½ tsp Aleppo pepper (cayenne fine as well)

½ tsp cumin

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1 cup panko or other good quality, crunchy bread crumbs, seasoned with flaky sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (chick pea “bread crumbs are a great gf substitution).

Generous amount of olive oil for pan cooking olive oil spray of grilling

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whole grain hamburger buns of choice, lightly toasted

Vegan cheese, gorgonzola or sharp cheddar, optional

toppings of choice- lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, aioli…

Method-

1- Cook beans: add soaked beans to large (4 qt) sauce pan with carrot, celery and shallot. Cover with cold water by about 2”, bring to a rapid boil, cover and reduce to low heat and simmer for about 1 hour (cooking time will vary depending on the age of the bean). If water has cooked off before beans are tender, add boiling water to pan and continue until beans are tender. Remove veggies and drain thoroughly.

Notes:

If using canned beans, rinse thoroughly and pat dry to remove excess moisture. You may even pop them in a low oven for about 10 minutes to allow liquid to evaporate

Sautée Shallot, add garlic and mushrooms- the more caramelized, the better.

2- In a food processor fitted with a blade, add beans, roasted sweet potatoes, walnuts, shiitake, beets, shallot, brown rice, flax meal, tomato paste, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper (everything except the bread crumbs, olive oil and cheese) and pulse until a course but blended, scraping down the sides every few pulses. You don’t want to end up with a smooth paste, you do want texture. Adjust salt and pepper.

3- Line baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Add bread crumbs to a mixing bowl and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Form mixture into patties, approximately 3 oz each. Coat each patty generously with the bread crumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight.

4- Preheat heavy bottomed sauté or cast iron pan over medium low heat. You want a straight sided pan so it’s easy to brown the sides of the burgers against the walls of the pan. Once pan is hot, raise heat to medium, add olive oil in batches and cook patties approximately 6 minutes each side until a nice brown and crispy edge is achieved. Allow patties to cook against the side of the pan to also brown the edges of the burgers. Handle patties carefully as they will be a bit fragile.

5- Serve on toasted buns with garnishes of choice. If melting cheese, place burger on bottom half of bun, top with desired cheese and place under the broiler just until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

I promise, no one will complain!