Tag Archives: burger

Black Bean Burgers

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Yep, it’s raining again.

If gloom has descended upon your part of the world don’t let it stop you from enjoying the finer things in summer, like Black Bean Burgers. Now, I have tried to make veggie burgers before (chickpea burgers and black bean burgers that I didn’t even blog about because they were barely edible) and I’ve continued experimenting and trying to find the veggie burger recipe.

I think I’m getting very close.

Black Bean Burger Patties, makes about four:

1 19oz can of black beans, drained and well-rinsed

1/2 onion, chopped

2 or 3 generous dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 serrano pepper, chopped

1 egg

a handful of cilantro, chopped

cumin, to taste, I think I used about a tsp

1/3 cup all purpose flour

salt to taste, or other spices you might want to add

Throw all the ingredients, except for the flour, into a blender or food processor and puree away. If you like some texture in your burgers don’t blend too much. My bean mixture had the consistency of baby food. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add the flour and salt/spices and combine. It will still be very goopy but don’t worry, I felt despair when I saw this but was pleasantly surprised at how well these eventually turned out.

In a large skillet, heat about 2 tbsp of oil on medium to high heat. Since you can’t exactly form the mixture into patties you’ll have to ladle each in like you’re making small, chubby pancakes. Let them fry about 3 to 4 minutes on each side and they’re ready to be dressed!

Here, I’ve used jalapeno Monterey Jack cheese, pickles, avocado slices, hummus, cucumber, hot pickled peppers, and mushroom slices. Oh and I have to mention that the (super crazy awesome delicious) burger buns we used were freshly made by Jay :)

Chickpea Burgers

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There’s a pub close to where we live called The Morrissey. If you ever find yourself in the West End of Vancouver, I highly recommend going there. Their burgers are amazing and usually it’s what I order, they’re that good. Last week I decided I would not have The Morrissey Burger because I wanted to keep going with this new vegetable affair so I took a chance on their chickpea burger, called The Hippie Chick. Oh. My. God. It was the best veg burger I’d ever had. And yes I do like to try veggie burgers from time to time. Most taste like cardboard. But this one was crispy on the outside and perfectly dressed, I couldn’t tell it was a patty made from chickpeas. Since then I’ve been craving that burger. Last night I decided to experiment and create my own version. I just hope I can remember how much I used for each ingredient…

Chickpea Burger Patties

Makes 4 good-sized patties

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Tahini sauce, about a tbsp

Juice of half a lemon

4 garlic cloves

Place the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until slightly coarse. Transfer to a bowl, add an egg and mix well. I’m not sure how much bread crumbs I used but just keep adding until you have the right consistency and texture. You want to be able to roll the mixture into a ball and then flatten into a disc and not have it fall apart. Heat a large skillet with oil and fry at medium heat for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side, just keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t burn. Place patties on paper towels for a few minutes and then serve. Dress the burger however you like. My burger was dressed with:

Dijon mustard

Fresh basil leaves

Goat’s milk feta cheese

Alfalfa sprouts

Cucumber slices

Haddock Burgers

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I’m a huge fan of burgers. Massive burgers that leave me with a dislocated jaw. I would probably be happy eating burgers everyday. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration but you know what I mean. Even if I were to eat burgers everyday, I would eventually get bored and I’d have to find another type of meat to fill my hamburger bun. I could use chicken but why not try fish? This idea comes from that much-used Weight Watchers cookbook I’ve been working my way through. These burgers are worth 6 points each.

Haddock Burgers, makes two

2 haddock fillets (or cod or halibut)

2 kaiser buns, preferably whole-wheat

Tomato cut into thick slices

Lettuce

Red onion cut into slices

Old cheddar cheese cut into slices

For tartar sauce:

2 tbsp mayo

2 or 3 mini pickles, minced

1 tsp capers, minced

Set the oven to broil. Spray olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over fish fillets and place on a baking sheet then set aside. Mix the mayo, pickles, and capers together in a small bowl. You could also puree them to get a smoother consistency for the tartar sauce. I tried using my Magic Bullet but the amount was too small and it all ended up smeared against the sides of the container. When the oven is heated place the fillets inside and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked. I am terrible at judging when something looks cooked so I tend to cook things a little bit longer than suggested.

Assemble sandwiches with the tartar sauce, lettuce, onion, tomatoes, cheese, and of course the fish fillets.

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Pita Burgers

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I was craving a nice healthy custom made burger last night. In my opinion, these are the best kinds of burgers because you can add whatever the hell you feel like adding to a mound of ground beef (or pork or chicken). Unfortunately, when it came time to dress my burger I realized I didn’t have bread, let alone burger buns. I felt instantly crushed and I was already mentally preparing myself to eat a bun-less patty when I saw a bag of pita bread on the counter. Could I make this work? Yeah!

Recipe for 4 burger patties

1 tbsp oil or butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms

1/2 small zucchini, shredded

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 or 3 chopped pickled jalapeño peppers

1 egg

¼  cup rolled oats

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp ground pepper

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Large pita bread cut into 4 sections

In a pan or skillet sauté the onion in oil over medium heat. Remove the onions, set aside, and put the mushrooms in the pan to cook until they release their water. Put the onions back in the pan along with the zucchini until it’s just tender. Remove from heat and set aside. In a medium size bowl, mix the ground beef, garlic, jalapeño peppers, egg, rolled oats, paprika, ground pepper, Worcestershire sauce and the sautéed onions, mushrooms and zucchini. Shape into four patties and fry over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes on each side. Place in a quarter piece of pita bread and dress however you like.

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Bean Burger

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I was flipping through my vegetarian cookbook, waiting for something to grab my attention. My eyes were drawn to a bean burger recipe I knew I had to try. Not only was I attracted to the photo, but I was also happy to note the cooking and prep time were minimal.

Bean Burgers

Makes four patties (so the book says)

1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for brushing

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

4 oz white mushrooms, finely chopped

15 oz canned pinto or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used cilantro)

salt and pepper

all-purpose flour, for dusting

hamburger buns

Preheat broiler to medium high. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander and cumin and cook for another minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Mash the beans with a fork and then stir the beans into the mushroom mixture and add salt and pepper. Divide the mixture equally  into 4 portions, dust lightly with flour and shape into flat, round patties. Brush with oil and cook under broiler for 4-5 minutes on each side. I served the burgers with a side of McCain Xtra Crispy Superfries, which by the way are awesome.

Here’s what I did wrong:

1. When I tried to mash the beans with a fork I quickly realized it would take an hour to mash them that way so I brought out my magic bullet and put it to work. I may have pureed the beans a little too much though. They were too soft, like bean dip.

2. I made the patties too thick. I probably could have made 6 patties.

3. I forgot to grease the baking sheet.

What came out of the oven were a couple of very soft bean cakes. They looked nothing like the burger in the book; juicy and meat-like. However, they smelled incredible so I ignored the fact that they didn’t look amazing and I proceeded to scrape, slide and nudge the resistant patties onto burger buns. I dressed the burgers with cheese, tomato and pickled peppers. Essentially I was eating bean dip in a burger bun. Really, really amazing and delicious bean dip. Jay said they were more like Sloppy Joes. He has given me an idea for a future project to make these bean burgers again but they will be Sloppy Joes with pico de gallo. Mexican Sloppy Joes?

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