This delicious black bean veggie burger recipe works well if you follow the ingredients and directions as given. This is actually a very flexible bean veggie burger recipe. You just need to watch out for the dry/wet balance.
It works fine to substitute peppers for onion, or celery, and I only used 1 clove of garlic. Grated carrots would be another possible substitution. I made the bread crumbs in the food processor using thick dry crusts.
Judy Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian
Ingredients:
2 cups black beans cooked (Shelley cooks extra and freezes*)
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped fine
1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
1 large stalk celery, chopped fine
2 -4 cloves garlic minced (depends how much you like garlic)
1 tsp cumin
1 Tblsp cooking oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup hummus
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 slices whole wheat bread crumbled into tiny pieces (hint: blender or food processor works great)
Optional: 1 cup whole wheat cracker crumbs or dry whole wheat bread crumbs
Instructions:
Mash or puree half the beans
Add reserved beans and all other ingredients EXCEPT hummus and cracker crumbs
Mix well by hand
Add enough of the hummus or other liquid ingredient to moisten mixture fairly well
Mixture may seem a little sticky, but it's better than a bit dry, because they WILL dry out while cooking
Form flat patties and coat with crumbs if desired. Crumbs make a nice crispy outside.
Cook on medium until brown, approx. 10 - 15 min per side.
Fantastic with a little brown mustard, horseradish and sweet pickle
Here are a few suggestions from Savvy Veg experience with this recipe:
If you use a food processor, reserve half the beans to add whole, according to Shelley's directions.
If you don't have hummus, don't substitute, just add another 1 - 2 tblsp of oil, liquid seasoning, tahini, tomato sauce or ketchup, etc - but not 1/3 cup
If you add liquid seasoning or more oil, reduce the amount of hummus 3 Tblsp for 1, or add a bit more oats or bread crumbs
Sauteing the veg including garlic in the oil on medium high for a few minutes shortens the cooking time, reduces the moisture, and mellows the garlic & onion
Dried ginger is good in this recipe, also dried herbs like thyme, basil, oregano; paprika adds more color and thickening power to the mix; more cumin is also an option
Asoefetida or hing is a good garlic substitute, and gas reducer - just a pinch is all you need
The long cooking time solidifies and dries the mixture. Sauteing the veg and making a drier mixture allows a shorter cooking time.
These are great on whole wheat burger buns with standard burger fixings - lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup, mustard. We added avocado and cucumber too.
*If you're going to soak and cook beans, it's worth making extra, to freeze
in small amounts for future meals.
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