If you are not particularly keen on the idea of having a bean burger for your next lunch or dinner it might just be because the last one you ate came from a box.
I have to agree with Melissa King from My Whole Food Life, the vast majority of store bought plant-based veggie and bean burgers almost always let me down. Melissa describes the typical store bought veggie and bean burger in her new book, Easy. Whole. Vegan. (The Experiment, 2016) as typically having a “rubbery texture and cardboard taste.” I won’t name names, but I can’t help but add that the ones that DO taste good typically have globs of highly refined and pro-inflammatory oil =(
Luckily for anyone who is trying to eat clean and get more plant-based protein and vegetables into their diet, Melissa has come up with a Zucchini and White Bean Burger recipe that is super-easy to make and so-delicious. The recipe is featured on page 155 of her Easy. Whole. Vegan. cookbook and so I decided to test it out for myself. That was a very good decision! YUM!!
How to Make Your Bean Burger a Complete Meal in a Hurry!
This is definitely my new go-to meatless burger for Meat Free Mondays. In her book, Melissa suggests serving the bean burgers with a bun or lettuce wrap and topping with Dijon mustard and roasted vegetables. I didn’t have any roasted vegetables on hand but I did have kimchi, and since I am always looking for ways to eat more fermented foods these days I decided to use the kimchi instead. I also took Melissa’s advice and served the burgers with a side of Dijon mustard. As for the bun, I didn’t have the right kind of lettuce on hand for the lettuce wrap and I didn’t have buns on hand either, but I had plenty of zucchini! Even though the recipe only called for one small zucchini I had bought three, so I decided to just quickly spiralize the zucchini into zucchini pasta (I am crazy for my Paderno Spiralizer, by the way). I then blanched the zucchini pasta in boiling water for 2 minutes, drained and tossed with some EVOO and sea salt and voila! I had the perfect side dish to my bean burger entree.
One quick note, Melissa’s recipe called for garlic powder but since I didn’t have that on hand either I just substituted 3 fresh crushed garlic cloves, which worked just fine.
2 cups 360 g cooked white beans (or one 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed)
2 tablespoons diced onion
½ teaspoon garlic powder (see notes below)
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
¼ cup 30 g flaxseed meal
¼ cup 25 g gluten-free oat flour
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the zucchini and white beans to a food processor and mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until they break down into a coarse texture. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times.
Add the diced onion, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt and mix for another minute. Next, add the flaxseed meal and the oat flour and mix until everything is incorporated, about 1 minute.
Using your hands, form the mixture into small patties and place them on the baking sheet.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let the burgers cool before removing from the baking sheet, about 20 minutes.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge. These should last a couple weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months.
Notes
I didn’t have garlic powder on hand so I just used 3 fresh crushed garlic cloves, which worked just fine.
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Recipe looks great & easy to make. I was wondering what you substitute flaxseed meal with keeping it Vegan as we are dealing with allergies?
★★★★★