As the wife of a veggie burger aficionado (Bill is vegetarian), I can lead you to local restaurants that serve the best ones. I also have various go-to recipes for really yummy homemade versions. But the best veggie burger I've eaten in a long time came my way a few weeks ago from my dedicated personal trainer, Candi Dunivan, who also has a passion for developing tasty, health-conscious recipes.
Candi's Quinoa and Black Bean Burger recipe begins with sweet potatoes, a seemingly unlikely base for a burger until you experience the natural sugar's luscious, crusty caramelization on the outside.
Quinoa flour and quinoa add high-powdered protein to the mix. Whole black beans, dry lentils, and chopped almonds also attribute to the protein while giving an interestingly nutty meat-like texture. One clever addition, a packet of meatloaf seasonings, adds a gentle beefy element.
Candi says the two secrets to great veggie burger texture are eliminating as much moisture as possible from each ingredient and refrigerating the ingredients overnight. She drains rinsed, canned black beans overnight in a colander. Sautéing the onions and bell pepper draws out water and condenses their flavors. "A wet burger is a soggy burger," Candi notes. "The sweet potatoes are fine as long as the other ingredients are as dry as possible."
Another Candi trick is using great garnishes on the burgers. "Veggie burgers need to be dressed to the nines to create that satisfying burger experience – soft bun, really tasty protein, and lots of colorful toppings." Candi suggests bread and butter pickles, sliced tomatoes and onions, and her favorite condiment, Anne's Organic BBQ Sauce.
For more information about Candi Dunivan, visit moecandifitness.wix.com/mcfit.
Quinoa and Black Bean Burgers
Yield: 6 burgers
1, 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained overnight in a colander
3 tablespoons each, chopped green onions and red bell pepper, sautéed in 2 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium sweet potatoes, baked, peeled, mashed, and refrigerated overnight
¾ cup cooked quinoa
½ cup quinoa flour
1 – 2 teaspoons minced dried onion
2 tablespoons dry lentils
2 tablespoons dry-roasted almonds, chopped
1, 1.5-ounce package meatloaf seasonings
Hamburger bunsand garnishes
In a large bowl, stir together black beans, onions and bell pepper, sweet potatoes, quinoa, quinoa flour, dried onion, lentils, almonds, and meatloaf seasonings. Form six patties and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Cook patties until instant-read thermometer shows 150º in the centers. Serve on buns with lots of interesting garnishes.