Stretching a Dollar
Meat is expensive, there just isn’t any other way to put it. I am not really a fan of bean burgers, I was raised practically a carnivore with the recommended “apple a day” rule. But I seemed to have found a nice combination of a vegetarian burger and a meat lover’s, I call it my Beanamburger.
To stretch your dollar even more, don’t spring for hamburger buns, use your usual loaf of bread. I personally find that the heels are great for burgers, it is practically the only time I eat them! It’s also more healthy to eat less meat; increase the green in your wallet and decrease your waist size! Beans are full of protein, like meat, so they will fill you up just the same while being a healthier option.
A close up:
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 can black beans, drained
add seasonings
add handful of chopped spinach
mash until beans are mixed in to your liking
form into patties (makes 5 medium patties)
cook to desired done-ness, top with your favorites and enjoy.
One thing I did that you might try is to add more seasoning than normal, it will take away some of that bean-taste.t
Vegan Bean Burgers
Vegan Bean Burgers
From the kitchen of:Moriah Lindsley
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- Beans as the base (black are my favorite, but any will do)
- Rice, cooked until soft and sticky
- Oil, to help the patties stick together when grilling/baking
- Lots of veggies (black olives, peas, corn, shredded carrots, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded zucchini, etc.)
- Seasonings, depending on what kind of flavor you want to impart
- Bread crumbs, finely ground
Blend veggies in food processor until they are small, uniform pieces about the size of a pea or corn kernel (or puree if you prefer). Blend beans in food processor until sticky and they form a smooth mass. In large bowl, combine beans, rice, veggies and a good helping of oil. Sprinkle in seasonings and some bread crumbs. Stir to combine or mash together with your hands until mixed well. Add more bread crumbs if it is still real wet and sticky. They shouldn’t be dry, but should be able to hold their shape. Form into patties and freeze, or grill and serve right away.
Nut Burgers (Vegetarian)
INGREDIENTS (serves 2)
* 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
* 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
* 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
* 1/4 cup diced red onion
* 1 beaten egg
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon salt-free herb seasoning blend
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 slices mild Cheddar cheese
* 1 pita bread round
* 1/4 cup prepared Ranch salad dressing
* 2 leaves romaine lettuce
* 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
* 1/2 avocado – peeled, pitted and sliced
DIRECTIONS
1. Place walnuts and sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, mash garbanzo beans with a fork, or chop in a food processor. Stir in the onion, egg, parsley, and toasted nuts. Season with pepper and seasoning blend, and mix well.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Divide the bean mixture into 2 patties, and fry in the hot oil for about 3 minutes on each side, or until well browned and heated through. Place a slice of cheese over each patty, and remove from heat.
4. Place the pita round in the same dry skillet the nuts were in, and heat for about 1 minute on each side. Cut the round in half, spread ranch dressing inside of each, and line the pockets with romaine leaves. Place a cheesy patty into each one, and top with sliced tomato and avocado. Serve with tortilla or potato chips.
Bacon Wrapped Hamburgers
INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 egg
* 1 tablespoon ketchup
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1 pound ground beef
* 6 slices bacon
* 6 hamburger buns, split
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat a grill for high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Crumble in the ground beef, and mix together by hand. Form into 6 patties, and wrap a slice of bacon around each one. Secure bacon with toothpicks.
3. Place patties on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until well done. Remove toothpicks before serving on hamburger buns.
Black bean vegan mini-burgers
Black bean vegan mini burgers
This amount makes about 12 tiny or 8 small burgers; multiply to suit your needs proportionately. It keeps pretty well in the refrigerator for a few days, and freezes well too, so it makes sense to make in some quantity.
For the burgers:
* 2 cups (500ml) of cooked or canned black beans, drained
* 3 tsp. fermented black beans, or 2 tsp. miso
* 1 small piece ginger, finely chopped to produce about 2 tsp. chopped ginger
* Green onions, to produce about 3 Tbs. chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
* 2 Tbs. chopped walnuts
* 1/2 cup rice flour
* 1 tsp falafel spice mix, or cumin powder
* 2 Tbs. or so of olive oil
For the sauce:
* 4 Tbs. tomato paste
* a few drops of Tabasco
* 1 Tbs. maple syrup
* A little hot water to thin out the sauce, if needed
Suggested equipment: a food processor
If you’re going to be baking them, preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Chop up the ginger, green onions and mushrooms finely, and sauté in about half of the olive oil until the mushrooms are wilted and brownish.
In the meantime, chop up the nuts. Add to the sauté pan to toast a bit.
If using the fermented black beans, chop finely until they’re almost a paste.
Reserve a couple of spoonfuls of the beans. Mash up the rest of the beans with a masher or in the food processor. Put the fermented black beans in and process until it’s fairly smooth. Add the spice and rice flour and process again. Add the sautéed vegetables, the reserved beans and the nuts, and pulse-process until mixed (you want some of the texture to remain).
Divide the mixture into 8 to 12 portions. With moistened hands, make into flat little patties.
If baking in the oven, oil a baking sheet and then brush the tops with a bit more oil. Bake for about 10 minutes, flip then bake 5 minutes more.
If cooking in a frying pan, heat up the pan with the rest of the oil. Fry the burgers until crispy, carefully flip over and fry the other side.
In the meantime, mix the sauce. Brush the sauce onto the hot burgers, or serve separately for dipping.
Good hot or at room temperature.
Notes
Fermented black beans (dul see) are actually black soy beans. You can get them at any general Asian or Chinese grocery store. You can use miso instead if you have that on hand, though it will be a bit less salty and well, different. Black bean sauce can be used also, but be aware that that has some wheat flour in it if you’re gluten-conscious.
If you don’t want to bother with making the sauce, use your favorite ketchup with a few drops of Tabasco added.
These keep well for a few days in the fridge, though they are better if you re-heat them to take the chill off before eating. They also freeze well.
Rice flour is available at Indian grocery stores (red rice flour is a bit different and interesting to use here), or in Japanese grocery stores where it’s known as joushinko. It’s mainly used here as a binder, so you can use regular wheat flour instead if gluten-sensitivity is not an issue.
Variation: Add fresh chopped coriander.
Hamburgers by Eddie
INGREDIENTS
* 1 pound ground beef
* 1 egg
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon steak sauce (e.g. A-1), or to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, and garlic. Mix in steak sauce until mixture is sticky feeling. Form into 3 or 4 balls, and flatten into patties.
3. Grill for about 10 minutes, turning once, or to your desired degree of doneness. The internal temperature should be at 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Serve on buns with the usual trimmings.
Favorite Recipes and Toppings (for burgers that is)
I asked a few of my friends to give me some of their favorite hamburger recipes and toppings.
My friend Meagan: 3-4 cloves garlic minced, sprinkle of nutmeg, sprinkle of onion powder (or chopped onions)… mix all in with ground beef, shape and cook! Enjoy!
Kevin:(he picked three favorite toppings)
peppers….green yellow and red …cooked til they are soft added with green chilies is pretty good, DEFINITELY CHEESE.
honestly this is going to sound weird…but french fries on my hamburger is one of my favorite ways to eat it
definitely put nacho cheese and jalapenos on your hamburgers…its delicious
My personal favorite toppings: green leaf lettuce, dill pickles, mustard, ketchup, and swiss cheese, yummy!
What are your favorites? I wanna hear from you!
Ranch Burgers
Southern Burgers is a recipe I originally found online but have since changed it so much they are now Ranch Burgers and I’m pretty sure I can call it my own. I like to add veggies into our meals as much as possible, so this has some fun veggie additions!
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean hamburger
1 large handful of Spinach
6 baby carrots
1 egg
1 piece of wheat bread or 1/2 c. instant oats
3 T Ranch
You’re favorite spices, I use minced onions and all seasoning salt and a little parsley
Step 1: Rinse and cut up spinach and grate carrots. If you have picky eaters you are trying to hide veggies from you might want to put them in a food processor or blender and puree them.
Step 2: Put raw lean hamburger, spinach, carrots and bread (torn into small pieces)/oats in bowl.
Step 3: Add egg, spices and ranch to bowl.
Step 4: Mix together
Step 5: Form into patties and cook until completely cooked. You have a yummy, healthier burger! This makes about 5 medium sized burgers.
Step 6: Don’t forget to dab burgers with paper towels to get the extra grease off them. Also, a little warning, these burgers can fall apart so form into firm patties. I do find that leaving the egg out helps them stick together better.
