I was recently at a barbecue party this past weekend with friends. The typical choices were there – hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers. But, some of my friends who were vegetarian (no meat) and gluten free were out of luck.
The veggie burgers had gluten added. I suggested one of my black bean “burger” recipes and many asked that I post it here. The first recipe is not a vegan dish as egg, sour cream, and cheese are added. A vegan friendly recipe is posted as a second recipe below.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 6 tablespoons salsa, divided
- 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 4 slices reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
- 4 gluten -free hamburger buns, split
Directions
In a large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Add the rice, onion, egg and 2 tablespoons salsa; mix well. Drop by 1/2 cupfuls into a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until firm and browned.If grilling, spray some oil on to tin foil so that the burgers don’t stick to the grill and fall apart.
In a small bowl, combine sour cream and remaining salsa. Place a lettuce leaf, burger, sour cream mixture and slice of cheese on bun.
NOTE: When I make this for myself, I leave out the salsa and sour cream and eat with the lettuce leaves.
This makes 6 medium-sized burgers:1 can black beans (about 16 ounces), drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder of choice
2 tbsp ground flax seed
(1 tbsp. corn starch, optional)Start by sauteing the onion in a tablespoon of water, just until they start to soften. Mash the black beans and add the peppers and onions and the other ingredients; mix well.Spray or brush a non-stick skillet with oil, and heat. Spoon the bean mixture into the hot skillet, forming patties. It’s best to do this by dropping spoonfuls into the skillet and using the back of the spoon to shape; they don’t do well if you try to form them into patties beforehand. Cook until well-browned on each side, turning once. If you use a barbecue grill, place tin foil on the grill and spray some oil on the foil. Cook the burgers on top of that. It keeps them vegan safe and helps prevent them from falling apart.A note about the cornstarch: The cornstarch helps the burgers stick together, but if you use it, be sure you cook them thoroughly or you may taste the corn starch.
great post as usual!
Hey Alice,
Fantastic idea for a healthy and refreshing recipe. It’s BBQ time at my house soon, so I will certainly be considering this recipe to please my guests. I’m a bonafide meat-eater but even I am dying to try this.
Alex
This is a super. Loving it dude!
Your recipes look so tasty especially the Burger recipes for the BBQ grill – Perfect grilled hamburgers. the look so yummy
Eggs are an animal product hence not vegan
Thank you for letting me know about the confusion. The second recipe is the vegan one. I will clarify that in the entry. Thank you again.
extremely enjoyed reading your post, you can keep them coming
Your recipes look very tasty. I will try some out this week
Looking forward to BBQ season. The time of year to really get inspired with cooking