The best veggie burgers

I'm just going to pretend like it hasn't been a really long time since I posted...

So, we are obsessed with these burgers.  Like in a big way.  I have been playing around with different variations and ingredients to try and nail down the perfect combination that will keep the burgers together when cooked.  Let's just say that one time we made these...well...it was a nice beet and black bean saute over greens for dinner.  Not too shabby, but when I want a burger, I want a burger.

Yummy beets!  My preferred method of cooking beets is to peel them whole first, chop into pieces, and then roast. You can read more about that here and here.

This way you only have minimal red stains. The pic shown here is a bit bigger than I would have liked.  I had to end up mashing the roasted beets after they cooked quite a bit.  So, if you remember, chop small and this reduces the cooking time too!

Salt, pepper, EVOO, maybe some garlic powder or herbs like thyme or basil.

While they are cooking mash up some black beans.  Normally, I don't like to use canned beans, but for these burgers, their extreme mushy consistency can be helpful when mashing and even a helpful aid to binding the burgers. 

Beautiful, roasted, red beauties.  Combine with the other ingredients and MASH!  You still want some good chunks, but remember this is a burger people!

Since all the ingredients are cooked, taste and adjust seasonings.  I really like parsley or cilantro and a lot of it.  Coriander is also a great spice in these burgers. 

I find chilling the mixture helps keep the burgers together in the pan.  I also think coconut oil adds some another layer of yumminess to these amazing burgers. 

Add some cheese, if you would like.  I really liked the blue cheese, but have done it with cheddar, Monterrey jack, and feta in the past with great results. 

Best-Ever Beet and Bean Burgers

Inspired by the veggie burgers at Northstar Cafe in Columbus, Ohio via thekitchn.com

makes about 4-6 burgers

• 1/2 cup brown rice (doubled if you like more rice), cooked
• 3 large red beets (about 1 pound), diced small 
• EVOO, S & P, other aromatic spices
• 1 onion, diced small
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TB cider vinegar
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 TB coconut oil
• 2 TB parsley/cilantro, minced
• 1 tspn coriander
• 1/2 tspn thyme
• 2 TB all-purpose flour
•  S & P
• cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss beets with EVOO, S & P, and other spices. Cook in oven for 10 - 20 minutes, depending on how big pieces are.  They are done with fork tender. 
2. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the onions are translucent and softened. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan using the cider vinegar.
3. Empty the black beans into a large bowl and use a fork to mash them up a bit. Add the cooked rice, the beet, onion mixture, the lemon juice, coconut oil, and all the spices. Stir to combine (you might need to do a bit of mashing too) and then taste for seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once it tastes the way you like it, add the flour and stir until you see no more dry flour.
4. Refrigerate.  You can skip this step, but it seems to work best if you are able to chill for about an hour.
5. Heat a cast-iron skillet over the highest heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil (or coconut) - the oil should completely coat the bottom of the pan. When you see the oil shimmer and it flows easily, the pan is ready.
6. Using your hands, scoop up about a cup of the burger mixture and shape it into a patty between your palms. Set it in the pan, where it should begin to sizzle immediately. (If it doesn't sizzle, wait a minute or two before cooking the rest of the burgers.) Shape and add as many more patties as will fit in your pan. Once all the patties are in the pan, reduce the heat to medium-high.
7. Cook the patties for 2 minutes, then flip them to the other side. You should see a nice crust on the cooked side. If they break apart a little when you flipped them, just reshape them with the spatula - they'll hold together once the second side is cooked. If you're adding cheese, lay a slice over the burgers now. Cook the second side for another 2 minutes.
8. Serve the veggie burgers on soft burger buns or lightly toasted sandwich bread along with some fresh greens.
9.  Cooked burgers should be eaten that same day. You can also save leftover mix in the fridge for up to a week and cook just one or two burgers as you want them.