Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

A couple weeks ago my friend Ken sent me this New York Times article about veggie burgers with the following message: "Apparently veggie burgers are tasty now. I'm skeptical". It discusses how nasty commercial veggie burgers can be and how they're usually eaten because they are the only meat alternative available at say a barbecue, not because anyone really likes them (my friend Jill, a meat eater with a love for Boca burgers, may be the exception). The article brings up a point I've been trying to make for years: if a veggie burger is made right, bearing no resemblance to those hard, previously frozen disks that look and kind of taste like a hockey puck, it becomes something both vegetarians and omnivores actually want to eat. The take home message is think of a veggie burger not as a substitute for its meaty counterpart but as a potentially delicious food in its own right.

The first veggie burgers I ever made were the Black Bean Burgers from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terri Hope Romero's Veganomicon. They have a Mexican flare to them, which I usually heighten by adding chipotles in adobo. Perhaps their flavor profile is why I associate all homemade veggie burgers with Southwestern flavors. Inspired by the article, I set off to create a new veggie burger recipe that strayed from my usual. I incorporated Mediterranean flavors such as olives, sun dried tomatoes, and parsley. I know sweet potatoes aren't exactly the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think of the Mediterranean, but I had a surplus so I threw some in too. Also, I honestly can't stop myself from putting avocado on my burgers, unless I'm out of them. After all, they are nature's butter.

You might be asking yourself how these veggie burgers hold together. Well, the magic is in the chia or flax seeds. When combined with moisture they form a gelatinous paste that can be used as a binder in baking or, in this case, in a veggie burger. The burgers in Veganomicon are held together by vital wheat gluten, which you can find in most supermarkets these days, hanging out by the flour. If you'd like to use that instead, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of it instead of the chia or flax seeds. 

Now get cooking and embrace veggie burgers!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers
Makes 6 burgers

• 1/2 medium sweet potato, baked or steamed, and mashed
• 1 15 oz / 435 g can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes (I used the kind packed in oil)
• 1/4 cup olives (I used kalamata)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds or ground flax seeds
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (err on the side of caution since the olives will add some extra salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil (I used the oil my tomatoes came packed in) or olive oil cooking spray

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C. Pour the salt over the garlic and drag the garlic across the cutting board using your knife until the garlic has formed a paste. This will release the garlic oils and prevent anyone from biting into a big ol' chunk of it. Toss the garlic and the onion into a medium mixing bowl. Add the beans, olives and sun dried tomatoes. Using a potato masher, one with small holes will work best, or a fork, mash mixture until no whole beans remain; having some half beans is fine. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the oil, and mix --I find that using my hands works best -- until all the ingredients are uniformly distributed. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes to let the flax or chia do their binding thing.
2.  Divide the burger dough into six equal parts, roll each into a ball and flatten into a patty. Place the patties on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Brush both sides of each burger with olive oil or spray them with cooking spray. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, flipping half way, or until the burgers have browned on both sides. For a quicker cooking method, heat the oil in a skillet over medium to medium high heat and cook each burger for about 4 minutes on each side or until browned.

Kidney Bean Burgers and Spiced Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Want a healthier version of the standard burger and fries? This might be just what you're looking for. If you make the burgers while the potatoes are cooking you could have this meal on the table in under 45 minutes. When you can make your own veggie burgers so quickly, why would you ever buy the packaged processed stuff ever again? I realize that using vital wheat gluten may sound a little scary to some but it's nothing to be afraid of. It's just the little protein found in wheat generally used to make seitan or add chewiness to bread. These days you can find it in most well stocked grocery stores. It does a great job of holding the burgers together and gives them great texture.

While you will want to stick to the recipe for the burgers to achieve the right texture, the recipe for the potatoes is more of a template than anything else. I added seasonings that were similar to those in the burgers but you can vary them according to whatever you're pairing the potatoes with. For example, try adding thyme and rosemary in addition to oil, garlic, salt and pepper for a more Mediterranean side dish. However you choose to cook these spuds, please use garlic. The roasting process makes it so sweet and nutty that coming across a piece of it may just be the highlight of your evening. I could easily eat these potatoes every day, and maybe I do for all you know.

Kidney Bean Burgers
Makes 6 large burgers or 8 smaller ones

• 1 15 oz / 425 g can kidney bean, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 medium onion, coarsely grated
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 medium celery rib, minced
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-1 1/2 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo
• 1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for frying
• Optional: 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1.  Sprinkle the salt over the minced garlic and paste it by dragging the garlic along the cutting board with the knife while pressing down on it. Keep repeating this process until the garlic and salt have formed a uniform paste. Add the paste, beans and onion to a large mixing bowl. Using a fork or a potato masher, break up the beans until there are no whole beans left, just halves or quarters.
2.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the water, to the bowl and mix until the ingredients are combined. Incorporate the water in small increments until you are able to easily form patties that stay together.
3.  Roll the mixture into 6-8 balls and then flatten them to form patties. Optionally, refrigerate the patties for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This will help them stay together during the frying process. If you want to cook them straight away go right ahead, just be a little gentler with your patties.
4.  Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties 2-3 at a time for about 5 minutes on each side or until they're brown. Repeat until all the patties are fried.
5.  Serve as you would your favorite burger: in a bun, over greens, with avocado, tomato, cashew "cheese", or any other condiments.


Spiced Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Makes 4 servings

• 1 lb / 455 g young red potatoes, washed, scrubbed,  quartered lengthwise then cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8-1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle or cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 1/2 tablespoons oil

Preheat your oven to 375 F / 190 C. Combine all the ingredients in a baking dish large enough for the potatoes to form a single layer. Toss until the potatoes are evenly coated with all the spices and garlic. Bake for 25-35 minutes, scrapping the potatoes off the bottom and flipping them half way through, or until the potatoes are golden brown some sides and tender on the inside. Serve as a side dish with your favorite veggie burger or other entree.