Better Bean Burgers

Ah, vegetarian burgers. They come in all shapes and sizes, from black beans, adzuki beans, quinoa, pea protein, and more....Some are supposed to taste exactly like beef, like the Beyond the Meat burger or the Impossible Burger, and others are alternatives that provide a yummy and satisfying alternative to the traditional burger. Some of my favorite commercial brands are Hilary's Adzuki burgers and Dr. Praeger's Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers.

I recently tried the Impossible Burger at one of the eateries on campus. It was surprising in both the fact that my dining hall had this burger and also how much the burger tasted like the ones I used to get in a little mom and pop ice-cream burger shack near my hometown. The flavor of the Impossible Burger is so close to beef I had to go back and double check to make sure I had grabbed the right burger. I later looked googled the ingredients and apparently the brand uses soy leghemoglobin to produce a 'meaty' taste and scent. Whatever it is, it works.

However, my stomach was not a huge fan of the Impossible Burger, possibly because it tasted so much like meat that my body wasn't used to it. Or possible because I ate a lot more at lunch that day than I usually would...

Nonetheless, I'd say I prefer the classic style veggie burger.

I recently tried two recipes for homemade bean burgers and man are they good.

The first is a Black Bean and Quinoa burger made with beets to give it an awesome purple hue, and the other is the World's Best Butterbean Burger. Both are completely vegan, and if you prep the rice before hand and use precooked beans they take less than thirty minutes to make.

Both burgers I made by pan frying them instead of baking, which worked just as well. Heat a medium to large pan on medium-high heat. Coat in olive oil and let the oil warm up before adding the patties.

To make the patties, take about a half a cup scoop and form a flattened circle in your hand, about a half an inch or so thick. The thinner the burger is the faster it will cook. Add the burger to the pan and cook for about five minutes on each side, they should get golden brown on each side. (Or dark purple for the beet version).

The recipes suggested chilling or resting the mixture for a while before frying, but the burgers held up pretty well going straight from the bowl to the pan.

Of course, bean burgers have a habit of falling apart when you eat them, which did happen later on, so letting the mixture cool a bit before cooking may lessen the chance of them separating.

Using the above recipes, you should get around eight to twelve burgers for each batch depending on how big you decide to make your patties. The mixture freezes well, so you can always make a big batch and save some for later.

Another option would be to halve the recipe or invite some friends over for dinner to share in the goodness. Some great sides could be homemade baked sweet potato fires (or regular potatoes if that's your jam) along with a salad. Depending on the toppings, you could to a Mexican theme and have a taco style salad and avocado, salsa, and chipotle aioli for the burger toppings.

Another good option (my personal fav) is to go greek. I love adding roasted red pepper, garlic aioli, spinach, and feta on my bean burgers. A greek salad of tomatoes, olives, spinach, and cucumber is a wonderful compliment to the main dish.

This time however, I went with the classic butter lettuce, onion, and tomato with ketchup and mustard on a toasted bun. Of course I couldn't have just one burger, but we were short on buns, so a double decker was my solution. Oh my goodness it was delicious! The flavors of the burgers weren't the best compliments of each other, so if you decide to make these in the future I would suggest choosing one or the other.

The Butterbean Burger is more subtly spicy, and would be great for the Mexican theme. The Black Bean and Beet burger was good, but the mustard was a little strong. If you're not a huge mustard fan I would recommend cutting back on the mustard a bit when making the burgers.

I hope you guys enjoy making these burgers, recipe credits to the UVM Discovery Kitchen. My college has a great program where cooking classes are offered once a week that students can attend for free, they're taught by Chef Sarah who is an amazing woman and wonderful cook.The classes are head and shoulders above what the dining halls have to offer, so they're a much needed break from dorm food.

It's nearing the end of the semester and I cannot wait to get back to my own kitchen and try out a bunch of new recipes, keep and eye out for more posts in the future!

Bon Appetite!