Kidney Bean Burger & Veggie “Fries”

Burgers make the world go round, at least this humble vegan thinks so. One of the things that just hasn’t changed as I made the transition to a plant based life is my love of burgers. Sure, it took some time before I found one vegan burger I could live with but now, more than 2 years later I’ve accumulated quite the stash of vegan burger recipes.

The idea for this burger came from The Minimalist Baker and their grill-able burger. The black beans worked like a charm and after having a wonderful kidney bean burger in Wurzburg, Germany, I knew it would be next on the list.

Making this burger is incredibly easy…after a bit of prep, so let’s start with the brown rice. You need to cook it first and let it cool so make it as early as you can and let it sit. And please, oh please, avoid the temptation to substitute white rice for this recipe. You’ll want that heft that comes from brown rice because it will make a difference.

While you’re waiting on the rice, drain and rinse the kidney beans before you pat them dry and toss them into a bowl. Mash them up with a potato masher until most of them have split, but not all. Set the bowl aside and prep the rest of the ingredients.

Saute an onion and split it up, using half for the burger mix and the other half as burger toppings.

Mix the rice, beans, sauteed onions, salt, black pepper, smoky paprika, garlic granules, cumin and a handful of walnuts. Run it all through the food processor until blended and dump into the burger mix. Form four thick-ish patties and you’re ready to go!

I did use some oil in this recipe, to brush over the panini press which is how I cooked these bad boys!

Now, because I like to experiment in the kitchen and because burger buns have a tendency to take a perfectly reasonable calorie count and turning it into nothing but good intentions but hey, a burger isn’t a burger without a bun. Right?

That’s right, so I took 1 carrot and 1 large zucchini and cut them into fries, using garlic, walnuts, nutrition yeast and paprika to make a little bit of breading before popping them into the oven for about 20 minutes.

I just seasoned the vegetables with salt & pepper, then rolled them through the breading. Simple as that!

For the hubs I made a quick avocado cream to top his burger with and it was super simple, an avocado, fresh minced garlic, lime and a spoon of vegan yogurt. It made about 5 servings.

The thing that took this burger over the edge for me, was the grilled onions. Sweet and slightly crunchy, they were perfect with this grilled vegan burger. Throw on the toppings you love and enjoy!

If you’re looking for ways to make the burger healthier or more calorie friendly, switch out the bun for lettuce, cut out the onions sauteed in onion or butter or minimize your ingredients for the basics. But this is burger night and you’ll need room for, what else?

An ice cold beer.