12 Favorite Recipes

bbq black bean & brown rice burgers

Veggie burger lovers, rejoice. There’s now a veggie burger even your skeptical, beef burger-loving significant other will enjoy.

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Earlier this week I found myself craving a veggie burger. I blame it on the holidays. There’s an abundance of roasts, savory stews and cheesy sausage dips (my weakness) at every family gathering, luncheon and office potluck. It was about time I had a few veggie burgers in my life. Instead of falling back on my tried & true Mushiago Burger recipe, I experimented this recipe that caught my eye when putting together the Best of the Best: Veggie Burger Roundup post.

I’ve never been to Houston’s but I hear their veggie burger is amazing – and the recipe I adapted is a copy-cat of theirs. I swapped out a few ingredients and added some shredded Asiago for extra flavor and binding. Also, because I heart cheese.

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You don’t even need a food processor to make these babies. I mashed the black beans with a potato masher and shredded the Asiago by hand – mostly out of laziness… sometimes cleaning the food processor is more work than it’s worth.

The recipe made 4 patties, all of which were demolished in just 2 days. Rob and I each had one on a bun – incredible – and then plopped one on top of a salad for dinner last night. Best idea ever. Do you know how much salad I’d eat if it had one of these on top every time?

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As far as veggie burgers go, they even look like a burger, once you slather them with a little barbeque & molasses goodness.

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I highly recommend. I plan on doubling the batch next time and keeping the extras in the freezer for quick & healthy midweek eats!

Makes ~4 patties

Adapted from Danielle Omar

  • 4 tablespoons hickory barbecue sauce
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained & mashed
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 2 tablespoons wheat bran
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped canned beets (about 2)
  • 2/3 cup Asiago cheese, shredded (or cheese of your choice)
  • 1 teaspoon beet juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeno pepper (about 1/2) chopped
  • 1 – 2 egg whites to bind (start with one – if mixture falls apart, add another)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Stir together barbecue sauce and molasses and set aside. In a large bowl or food processor, mash beans. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the barbecue mixture (reserving remaining for brushing), rice, cheese, wheat bran, beet and beet juice, red pepper, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, jalapeno, and egg white. Form mixture into four patties. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook burgers for 5 minutes on one side. Flip, brush with remaining barbecue/molasses mixture and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool. NOTE: Veggie burgers will be very soft and tough to flip so leave plenty of room in your pan for maneuvering. They should become more firm with cooking and will be most firm once cooled.

Serve with your favorite toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, pickles, onions, etc…) on a toasted bun.

Question of the day: Veggie burgers – yay or nay? Got any favorite recipes you want to share?

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