black bean and quinoa burgers

Black bean and quinoa burger served in a brioche bun with red onion, lettuce, tomato and salsa. Yum!

Yes, it tastes as good as it looks. These hearty burgers will be a hit even with the men in your house! Don’t be put off by the lengthy instructions. See the note at the end on how to turn this into a Mexican inspired burger. This recipe comes from The Plant Based Cookbook by Deliciously Ella.

Makes 6 to 8 burgers

Ingredients

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves (ideally roasted if you can but if not, raw if fine)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

5.3 ounces (150g) of chestnut mushrooms (I used Bella mushrooms as they have a little more taste and bite than white mushrooms)

4.5 ounces of uncooked quinoa (125g, about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons)

250ml of boiling water

14 ounces (400g) of canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 heaped tablespoon plain flour (or gluten free flour)

pinch of salt and pepper

Creating the Magic

Preheat the oven to 425F (220C). If using a fan assisted oven, drop to 390F or 200C.

Place the onion and garlic in a frying pan over a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft. Add the spices and cook for another minute before removing from the heat and leaving to cool.

Place the mushrooms in a baking tray with a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper and roast for 10- 15 minutes until golden. Remove and leave to cool.

While the mushrooms cook, prepare the qunioa by placing it in a pan over a medium heat and covering with boiling water. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Once cooked, remove and leave to cool.

Once the mushrooms and quinoa have cooled, place all the ingredients in a food processor - make sure you discard any excess liquid from the mushroom pan before adding them to the food processor, as this can make the mix too watery. Pulse until smooth then place the mixture in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.

Once cool, use a large spoon to scoop out patties and flatten them into round shapes, about 3 inches (8cm) across. If needed, place the patties in fridge for another 30 minutes to firm up.

Once the patties are firm enough to hold together when flipped, place a frying pan over a medium heat, drizzle with olive oil and cook the burgers for 5 minutes on each side until they are crispy.

Note: I made these into Mexican burgers by added some chopped jalapenos (fresh or canned), cilantro and taco seasoning to the mix. I tasted as I went to make sure it wasn’t too hot! Then I topped the burger with salsa. Yum!

Tip: These patties freeze well so if you don’t eat them all, simply pop them in the freezer after cooking them.