Veggie Bean Burgers - Gluten free and soy free

Even here in Portland, Maine, the air is warming up.  The birds are out, more people are jogging or riding their bikes on the gorgeous trails here, and the smell of good grilling is filling the air in my neighborhood.

Although I don't eat meat, the smell of someone grilling outside makes my mouth water.  That warm-weather aroma brings me to crave something else, though -- veggie burgers.

I used to live off veggie burgers that I would buy in the store.  They were a healthy source of protein and accompanied many of the salads and sandwiches that I'd bring to work.  Now, I have more fun making my own -- without the soy or wheat that is typically found in veggie burgers.

This patty is packed with protein and veggies, and tastes delicious.  No, it doesn't taste like a hamburger.  But I don't want it to.  I wanted it to taste like black beans.  Usually I focus on the health benefits of vegetables and nuts, but beans have lots of good things going on for them.  Black beans, in particular, are high in fiber, which helps stabilize blood sugar and lower cholesterol.  Beans are full of antioxidants, too -- research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry shows that that black beans are as rich in antioxidant compounds as grapes! 

Andrew ate his veggie burgers on rye bread (which he can tolerate in small quantities because rye has a different type of gluten than wheat) smeared with garlic.  I broke mine up and put it in a very green soup. We also grilled up an onion to add a nice kick of flavor.

Cheese, mustard (garlic mustard that we got as a free sample from Maine-based Stonewall kitchen!) and organic ketchup were a must on Andrew's sandwich. It's pretty rare that we have mustard and ketchup in the house, so it was a serendipitous event.

 

It was so hearty and full of flavor.  If you're not a fan of bread, these would be great broken up into a salad or stir-fry, in a gluten-free wrap or as a vegetarian way to have bolognese sauce. 

Veggie Bean Burgers

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 2 1/2 cups of black beans, pre-cooked (drained if you're using canned beans)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free oats (you could probably substitute cooked quinoa here, too)
• 3 large kale leaves
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 large mushrooms, broken into small pieces 
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 3 cloves or garlic, diced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup rice flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Put all ingredients EXCEPT rice flour into the blender and let things whir around in there until everything is almost broken down.  Add water, a little bit at a time, as necessary.  You could also add the juice left over from cooking the beans or from the can of beans.  Transfer mixture into a large mixing bowl, add in the flour, and stir until the flour is incorporated and the batter is a bit more dry.  Form into patties to your desired thickness and size -- I made mine a bit bigger than palm-sized.  Line up these beauties on a greased sheet pan.  Bake for 15 minutes, then turn over and let bake for another 15 minutes, or until they are not super moist. At the size I made, this makes 6 veggie burgers.