Black Bean, Mushroom, Dried Fig & Kalamata Olive BurgerS
Hello guys! This is Rita here. I can't fully put to words how excited we are about this recipe. See, ever since our little cocoon here was nothing but a spark of an idea, André has had one big demand: an original and delicious plant-based burger. After building up a pretty decent repertoire of vegan eats, we finally set out to create just that. I am thrilled to let you know his demand has been greatly fulfilled. I was briefly concerned about our timing and wondered if it might be too soon to post another breaded anything. After all, we just posted these Green Sandwiches with Herb Hummus and Maple & Soy Tofu. But hey, who doesn't like stuff on bread? And boy are these "Burgels" worth the repetition.
I must admit though, we didn't get it right the first time. Nor the second. It took us about 5 or 6 takes until we felt these babies had finally found their path. And then, two more takes to perfect them. Anyhow, we filled our tummies with all the nevertheless delicious failed attempts along the way. Most veggie burger recipes I had come across with have neverending ingredient lists, but we went for something much simpler. This way, the flavours really come through. Don't get me wrong, we've had some pretty yummy and wildly complex veggie burgers. But I just love to be able to taste every single ingredient in a meal and feel that they truly do come together in the most perfect way imaginable. With only 11 ingredients and no added oils, these are everything we could have hoped for: vegan, tasty, healthy, filling, high carb low fat AND freezer friendly.
The earthy black bean and mushroom combination isn't a first for us (haaave you met these Black Bean and Avocado Quesadillas with Grilled Shiitake?) and surely this won't be our last recipe resorting to it. And the dried figs + kalamata olives + thyme are a match made in foodie HEAVEN! Together with the garlic and paprika they turn what could very well be bland patties into an incredible mediterranean-inspired delight. The chopped dried figs melt into a gooey caramel once the patties are baked in the oven (or fried in a pan) and the kalamata olives (our ABSOLUTE favourite!) play their salty and bitter counterpart. YUM! While we would normally use rolled oats for something like this, we've found that flaked quinoa is the perfect dry ingredient to soak up some of the moisture and allow the patties to hold together. Rolled oats can be a little bit overpowering as far as texture goes.
We're kind of addicted to bagels over here and we do not pass any opportunity to munch on anything bagel related, hence the "burgel" play. But these are great on any sort of bun or even served on a plate with some yummy sides and salads. So what are you waiting for? Give these a go and let us know what you think of the recipe!
Black Bean, Mushroom, Dried Fig & Kalamata Olive Burgers
1 hour | makes 6 burgers
INGREDIENTS
1 cup | 140 gr. cooked brown rice, room temperature
1 15 oz. | 400 ml. can organic cooked black beans
1 flax egg (1 tbsp golden flax meal + 3 tbsp water)
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, center germ removed and finely chopped
180 gr. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced and then roughly chopped
4 dried figs, chopped
10 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp quinoa flakes
1 tsp paprika
sea salt & black pepper to taste
"BURGEL" ASSEMBLY
bagels, cut open and lightly toasted (choose gluten free bagels or buns if you're intolerant to gluten)
arugula leaves
ripe avocado, sliced
nigella seeds
black pepper to taste
OTHER YUMMY TOPPINGS
red onion, thinly sliced
cucumber, thinly sliced
organic ketchup or organic mustard
sauerkraut
STEP BY STEP
Start by gathering, preparing and measuring all of the ingredients. This will improve your dynamic in the kitchen.
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF | 180ºC.
Prepare the flax egg by mixing the flax seeds and water and let it rest while you cook the mushrooms.
Start by dry sautéeing the cremini mushrooms alone in a shallow pan in high heat, constantly stirring and moving them around so they won't burn.
As soon as the mushrooms start releasing their water, add the chopped onion and garlic and continue sautéeing. In 4-5 minutes, the mushrooms will have released all of their water and everything will be fairly dry, toasty and brown.
Scatter the sautéed mushrooms, onion and garlic in a wide cool plate and allow them to cool down completely.
Place the cooked brown rice, 1 cup of the black beans and the prepared flax egg in your food processor or blender and blend until you get a smooth, thick paste. You can also mash these ingredients together with a fork.
Scrape this paste into a large mixing bowl and add the cooked mushroom mixture and all the other ingredients.
Mix this thoroughly with a spatula (or your hands) until everything is combined and evenly distributed.
Shape the burger mix into a large ball and let it rest in the mixing bowl for 20 minutes, preferably in the fridge. This will allow the quinoa flakes to absorb some of the moisture and give the burgers the perfect texture.
After 20 minutes, separate the burger mix into 6 balls roughly the same size and shape them into patties with your hands. At this point you can also freeze your burgers, but make sure you separate them with parchment paper so they don't stick together.
Place the patties in a tray lined with parchment paper and put them in the oven for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, flip the burgers and cook in the oven for 10 minutes longer.
PS - Alternatively, you can fry the patties with a teaspoon of unflavoured coconut oil in a pan over medium heat, 2-3 minutes each side (however, the recipe will no longer be HCLF).
PPS- If you've frozen the patties, just throw them directly from the freezer into the oven and cook them for a few minutes longer.
"BURGEL" ASSEMBLY
Layer your "burgel" with the arugula leaves as a start.
Place a patty on top the arugula and then the avocado slices.
Sprinkle some nigella seeds and freshly cracked black pepper on the avocado
Close the "burgel" with the top bun and DIG IN! :)
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY!
Share the photos of your creations on Instagram with the tag #cocooncooksblog so we can see it! xo