Black Bean Veggie Burgers (gluten free, vegan, no oil)

Well, I’ve been playing around with this veggie burger for awhile and think it’s ready to go. My biggest problem (in general) is measuring ingredients. I’ll start off okay, but then something won’t have the right consistency or spice and I’ll adjust it a bit, then a bit more, and maybe more. By then I have no idea what I did after my initial measurements and will have to try again next time based on the little notes I make to myself. Eventually, I get it. But it usually takes a time or two. Thanks to all of you, I am forced to measure which obviously makes it easier to reproduce my food!

With these burgers the other difficult thing to figure out was the moisture content and how to deal with it. What I have discovered in this process is that this burger is very forgiving in this respect and yields a soft, not dry, yummy burger. While you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to get the mix to blend in the food processor, if you puree the onions and garlic first that usually yields enough liquid that the rest of the ingredients will blend nicely. I cook my own beans because they are so cheap and easy. I’ll often make the beans and rice one day and make the burgers in the next day or two. You can use canned bean as well. I do find canned beans to be a bit wetter so rinse and drain them well.

This burger is great to have in the freezer. And I think they actually taste better after the day they are made and are heated a second time. Like so many things the flavors are just better the next day or so, even if they’ve been in the freezer. I love being able to grab on when I am hungry but don’t feel like cooking. And my whole family likes them!!! How often does that happen?!?! They take about 1 minute to warm in the microwave or 8-10 minutes in a covered pan on the stovetop on medium/low heat (4-5 minutes each side). If you are warming a bunch of them you could put them on a cookie sheet covered in foil and warm them in the oven, or wrap them in foil and heat them on the grill.

Once heated you can top them however you like. In the photo above I made mine with guacamole, lettuce, tomato and ketchup on gluten free toasted bread. It was definitely as good as it looks! Feel free to play with the spices to fit your tastes.

Hope you like ‘em!

*Disclaimer….These are delicious black bean and rice burgers. They are not intended to taste like a beef burgers nor do they. If you make these burger and they come out tasting like spiced black beans and rice….you have succeeded!! Enjoy.

Black Bean Veggie Burger (gluten free, vegan, no oil)

2 c. cooked black beans

2 c. packed, cooked short grained brown rice (long grain brown rice is okay and day old is best)

1/2 -1 c. uncooked pureed kale (optional)

1 large onion roughly chopped

3-5 garlic cloves roughly chopped (depends how much you like garlic)

2 TBS nut butter of choice (I used sunflower butter)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

3 TBS ground flaxseed meal

1 1/2 c chili powder

1/4 c. arrowroot or potato starch (tweak: use flour or starch of choice)

1/4 c. brown rice flour (tweak: use flour of choice)

Puree kale in food processor. Remove kale and set aside in another bowl. In the same processor puree onion and garlic. Add beans and puree. Add nut butter, flax meal, and spices. Puree. Add kale back into food processor. Puree until all ingredients are well blended. If needed add 1-2 TBS of water to processor to allow ingredients to puree.

In a large bowl place 2 cups of packed cooked rice. Scoop pureed ingredients into the bowl and stir well with the rice. Then add the starch and flour to the mixture. Stir until combined. Mixture will be thick and sticky.

Divide mixture into 8-10 equal parts. You can do this by flattening the mixture into the bowl and scoring the top with the end of a spatula so that it looks like a cut pie.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. With the spatula scoop a piece of the “pie” and roll into a ball. Place on the cookie sheet and flatten into a patty about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat until sheet is full, usually 6 patties. Bake for 30 min at 350 F. Then flip the burgers over and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove, cool, and freeze if desired.

Repeat with remaining mixture. If you choose, you can cook both batches in the oven at the same time. If they will fit, you can put the sheets side by side and follow the above baking instructions. If the sheets will not fit. Place them on separate racks. Bake for 30 minutes but alternate the sheets half way through. After the 30 minutes flip the burgers, alternating the sheets again. Bake 20 minutes alternating the sheets half way through. Remove, cool and freeze if desired.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans (vegan friendly, gluten free)

I’m back on the planet as my mom would say. Sorry for my lengthy absence. Life got a little crazy for a bit, so my poor little blog took the brunt of my neglect. But no more! I’m ready to roll!

This week I’m sharing my slow cooker baked bean recipe. These beans are great for any time of year whether it’s snowing or you’re grilling. I always make them as “backup” when I am going to be with a big group, usually family. We have vegetarians, vegans, people who don’t eat wheat and people who eat everything. In my recipe I do not use salt pork or bacon (a traditional ingredient) making my beans completely vegan. So, this recipe is perfect. It gives a great side dish for the “everything” eaters and a great main dish for the vegetarians.

To make the beans you do need to think ahead a bit. You have to remember to get the dry beans (just pick them up when you see them, they don’t go bad and are sooooo cheap), and you need to remember to soak them overnight or about 8-9 hours.

To soak them, check them for rocks and molded beans first. To do this simply pour the beans into your hand, check them over removing any foreign objects, then dump them into a bowl. When you are done rinse the beans, then fill the bowl of beans with water. Make sure your bowl is bigger than you think you need and has more water than you think is needed since the beans will about double in size. Now, if you have soaked your beans and didn’t get around to cooking them….don’t panic. They’ll keep…several days actually…as long as you change the water they are soaking in each day. If I am doing this I will usually give them a rinse too before soaking them in a second batch of water.

These beans do take awhile to cook but are well worth it. The long cooking time intensifies the flavors. Plan on cooking them for 12-15 hours on the HIGH setting. I’m serious. So, if you want them for a BBQ in the afternoon you’ll need to start them the evening before. But be careful of your bean choices. They are not created equal. The pintos and navy beans tolerate the long cooking time, but a bean like Great Northern does NOT. They break down too easily. You will end up with a starchy mushy mess, which would be great if we were making refried beans…….but we are not.

I usually make a double batch of these beans when I make them since it is the same amount of work to make 2 batches vs 1.  When the beans are done I take half the batch and freeze it. It’s such a nice surprise to have them waiting in the freezer when you don’t feel like making dinner! I use them to make burritos, or add it to salads, or eat them with fresh veggies and cornbread.

Hope you like them!

Slow Cooker baked beans (single batch recipe)

1 lb dry Pinto Beans or Navy Beans (check for stones, rinse and soak overnight)

1 medium or large onion sautéed in a little oil until clear

½ cup molasses

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

2-3 TBS brown mustard

Place presoaked and drained beans in the crockpot/slow cooker. Add just enough fresh water to barely cover the beans with some beans peaking through. Add the sautéed onion and all other ingredients. Stir. Set slow cooker to HIGH setting and cook for 12-15 hours until desired consistency is reached. Feel free to adjust the salt, sugar and pepper to taste. Then just eat ‘em up and freeze what you don’t!