I've been on a veggie burger kick lately. I can't get enough of them. Sunshine Burgers are my favorite store-bought brand. I find that veggie burgers are great to have on hand in the frig or freezer for a last minute snack or to pop into my kids' lunches. They can be dressed up or down depending on what they're served with.
Today, I ate mine with homemade sour cream and salsa. They would be great with a side of corn and avocado. Or cut them into pieces and set them atop a taco salad!
This is the first of a few recipes I'll be sharing here for variations on veggie burgers. These are made from black beans and rice with some colorful veggies mixed in. Believe me, they're full of flavor! My kids love them (though my son said we should come up with a different name rather than "burger," as they don't have much in common with their namesake----different but good)!
Oh, and lastly, they're incredibly easy to make--- just throw the ingredients into a food processor and whirl away...
Southwestern Veggie Burgers
1 can Black Beans (or 1 1/2 C. cooked), rinsed
1 C. cooked brown rice, cooled
3 cloves garlic
1/2 C. sunflower seeds
2 T. pepitas
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 C. fresh spinach
3 T. chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Table Mtn All-Purpose Seasoning, or chili powder
Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes a chunky paste.
Now for the messy part: Using approximately 1/4 C. of mixture, roll the paste into a ball between palms and flatten onto the baking sheet, about 1" thick. They don't spread so you can crowd them a bit.
Bake in oven for 15 minutes and carefully flip them with a thin spatula (they will try to stick a bit). Bake for 10-15 minutes more---- until they are a little firm and hold together but they are not dried out.
Stack them between parchment papers in an air-tight container and store them in the frig or freeze them for later! To serve, warm them in the microwave or the oven.
