Bean and Veggie Burgers

I’ve picked up a new habit of watching The Martha Stewart Show and Mad Hungry on weekday mornings when I can. Martha because she makes ridiculous stuff like coffee cream pie and ice cream cake with Jimmy Fallons’ Late Night Snack ice cream, and, well, she’s Martha. Mad Hungry is creeping up into being one of my favorite cooking shows. The host, Lucinda Scala Quinn, has no pretense and her cooking and meals are accessible.

So this, my first foray into veggie burgers, is an LSQ recipe. Chock full of vegetables, they definitely taste healthy. But now that I give more thought to how I could improve or augment the flavor, I realize that these veggie burgers are the perfect candidate for topping with a fried egg. I am a true believer that almost anything can be improved with the addition of an egg. If that’s not your thing, or even if it is, make sure to check out LSQ’s chili mayonnaise recipe as another topping for these burgers.

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com.

Makes 4 burgers or 12 sliders.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small Serrano chile, chopped (a milder chile like jalapeño will also do)

1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)

1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

2 cups cooked kidney beans (I used canned, though use cooked dry beans if you have the time)

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/2 cup grated broccoli

2 tablespoons grated ginger

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whole-wheat buns, rolls or English muffins (make do with what you have!)

Garnish options: chili mayonnaise (see Note), sliced mango, fried egg, grated cheese

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chile, salt, cumin and paprika and cook until onion and garlic are soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Pulse beans in a food processor until mixture resembles ground meat. Pulse in rice and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
3. Stir bean mixture in a bowl with carrot, broccoli, ginger, cilantro and onion base (from step one).
4. Form into four large patties or 12 small patties. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Cook patties until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Sandwich in rolls, adding garnishes.

Note: To make chili mayonnaise, stir together 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon Asian chili paste (such as sambal oelek) and a dash of sesame oil.