Veggie Burgers for the Grill

One of the things I miss most about eating a vegan diet is bbqing. While bbq’d vegetables are really delicious, it’s just not the same. Now we have ‘impossible burgers’ and ‘beyond meat burgers’ which are good IMO for their taste, but not particularly healthy. Since I chose a vegan diet for the potential health benefits I try to eat those other types of burgers only a few times a month. Usually I use either this burger recipe or kebabs made from yoba. (If anybody wants that recipe let me know and I will put it in a future newsletter). Meanwhile, check these out and let me know if you like them.

This delicious recipe makes 5 burgers.

Ingredients

· 1 cup cooked brown rice
· 1 cup raw walnuts
· 1/2 Tbsp avocado oil (plus more for cooking)
· 1/2 medium white onion (finely diced // 1/2 onion yields ~3/4 cup)
· 1 Tbsp each chili powder, cumin powder, and smoked paprika
· 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper (plus more for coating burgers)
· 1 Tbsp brown sugar
· 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (well rinsed, drained and patted dry)
· 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
· 3-4 Tbsp BBQ sauce

Instructions

1. Heat skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add raw walnuts and toast for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden brown. Let cool and move onto the next step.
2. In the meantime, heat the same skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and onion. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until onion is fragrant, soft, and translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Once walnuts are cooled, add them to food processor with chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and coconut sugar and blend until a fine meal (see photo) is achieved. Set aside.
4. To a large mixing bowl, add drained, dried black beans and mash well with a fork, leaving only a few whole beans (see photo).
5. Next add cooked rice, spice-walnut mixture, sautéed onion, panko bread crumbs, BBQ sauce, and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon for 1-2 minutes, or until a moldable dough forms. If dry, add extra 1-2 Tbsp BBQ sauce. If too wet, add more panko bread crumbs. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
6. Divide into 5 patties (1/2 cup in size).
7. If grilling, heat the grill at this time and brush the grill surface with oil to ease cooking. Otherwise, heat the same skillet you used earlier to medium heat.
   8.Once the skillet is hot, add just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of your skillet, then add your burgers – only as many as will comfortably fit in the pan. Otherwise, add burgers to the grill and close the lid.
8. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until well browned on the underside, then flip gently. They aren’t as firm as meat burgers, but will definitely hold their shape. Reduce heat if cooking/browning too quickly. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side.
9. Remove burgers from heat to let cool slightly, and prepare any other toppings/sides at this time (such as grilling/toasting your buns).
10. Serve burgers as is, or on toasted buns with desired toppings. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days