Veggin’ Out- A Veggie Burger Attempt
I really wanted a veggie burger. And I really didn’t want a frozen patty thawed in the microwave. I also had some left over kidney beans that had been chillin’ in the fridge for a few days, and it was about time they got used up. I know I’ve seen some great recipes for veggie burgers in the blogosphere but for some reason, I couldn’t find any that looked easy enough for me, so I decided to just attempt my own. Here’s what I threw together:
Homemade Veggie Burgers (Makes 1 large burger)
- 1/3 cup kidney beans
- 1/4 cup choppeed green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 3 tbsp egg whites (approx 1 egg white)
- 1/4 cup oats
I mashed the beans with a fork, and mixed in the egg whites in the bowl. Then I diced up the onion and pepper in the food processor until it was nice and finely chopped. I then mixed the veggies with the bean-y mixture, and added the oats until it made a nice paste. I shaped the goo into a burger and then cooked it on a skillet over medium heat. (I melted about a tsp of Smart Balance in the skillet first.)
Honestly, the burger didn’t totally stick together as planned. But after I flipped it once, I kind of smooshed it back into a burger shape, and then it stuck pretty well. Maybe I just flipped it too soon? Not sure. I didn’t have any buns, but that’s ok. Veggie burgers are GREAT over… more veggies!
I cooked some onion, zucchini and peppers in a little more Smart Balance, and then topped it all off with the veggie burger.
Yummm delicious!
After dinner, I was doing some blog reading, and Keepin’ The Faith reminded me that it was national peanut butter day!!! I can’t believe I almost let the day pass me by! Clearly, this called for some homemade PB action!
I tossed 1 1/2 cups of roasted peanuts into the Vita-mix, added a bit of vegetable oil, a dash lot of salt and a splash of vanilla. It turned out to the the perfect balance between creamy and crunchy. I like my peanut butter to be spreadable, but I also like a crunch!
Two questions for today:
1. What’s your favorite kind of veggie burger? Black bean? Straight up veggies? Any brands or recipes you recommend?
2. Did you celebrate National Peanut Butter Day, yesterday?
<3 Liz
In the past I have eaten those frozen patties by morningstar and the likes, but I’ve always wanted to make my own minus the gazillion unidentifiable ingredients plus a lot of protein. Yours looks great! I’m finding that even though I’m no vegan or vegetarian, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy mainly vegetable dishes!
I have those same plates! I love any type of bean burger. Lately I’ve been craving a bulgur wheat burger, which uses white beans, but I haven’t had the chance to make them. I definitely did celebrate national peanut butter day, and it was perfect.
That looks delicious! And congrats for being the first blogger I have seen place a veg. burger atop more veggies!! We always do ’em over a bed of greens, but cooked veggies look so amazing under that pattie. I love making veggie burgers, always using pinto beans and oats with other veggies, simply because we always have those two staples in the house. Plus: adding greens to the mix makes the patties green, which is waay too fun to pass up!
Haha I just can’t get enough vegetables!!! Haha. I actually just didn’t have any buns, and I didn’t want to eat it by itself, but it was SO tasty, I think it’s my new “go to” way to eat a veggie burger!
These look great. I can’t really say I have a fave because I think I change the recipe slightly every time LOL. I have made a red bean and quinoa patty that is really tasty.
Ahh my two favorite loves, PB & veggie burgers 🙂
Yeah, veggie burgers > soy burgers any day! Yours look great 🙂
I love your blog! I’ll have to try those veggie burgers!
yea black bean is pretty much my go to bean for making burgers and patties. chickpeas are good too. mine crumble quite badly, urs has a nice form to it at least and i think the egg whites totally helped glue things together a little more. its tricky to get the right consistency tho eh!
xoxo <3
I like black bean burgers the most 🙂 I definitely celebrated PB day, and I’m continuing my celebration today!