A few years back when I started this blog I put up a recipe for hamburgers. It's a great recipe, however seeing as I no longer cook meat I have decided that it's time for a burger recipe that I actually eat all the time ever since my friend Jaime showed me a variation of this last year.
Vegan, gluten free, low fat, high protein, high fiber, and tasty, these puppies are one of my favourite comfort foods right now. They are also suuuper flexible, so I can use them to use us pretty much any random veggie bits I have lying around. They work well on a bun, in a sandwich, with a salad, or just as a snack as I run out the door. As if that wasn't enough the base patty recipe is also entirely pantry staples, so you shouldn't even need to go shopping! YAY!
The base patty is this -
1.5 cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 can, or if you are awesome and zero waste - about 1/2 cup cooked from dry)
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
So, in essence chickpeas plus spice. Mash those all up to the point where it's still a tad lumpy for the texture.
From here you can get creative! The last batch I made I threw in about half a cup of cooked butternut pumpkin, a couple of teaspoons of sesame seeds, half a cup of leftover quinoa, and a handful of spinach. The time before that I added a tablespoon of soy sauce, a grated carrot, and left out the curry powder. To get the same consistency I threw in a tablespoon or so of flour.
Once your mush is all nicely combined you get to choose how healthy you are feeling. If you want fast, and a little bit less healthy - fry them on a medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side in a dash of oil. If you are feeling healthier - pop them on a lightly greased baking tray at 180 C for 15 minutes, or until firm.
BONUS RECIPE!
Chickpeas from dry! Just like the canned stuff, BUT BETTER!
1 cup of dry chickpeas
enough water to cover them + 3cm above
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Combine all, soak overnight (at least 12 hours).
Drain, add the same amount of water, half a tsp more salt, and a pinch of baking soda. Boil on medium high until soft. This could take up to half an hour.
BOOM.
A great compliment to these burgers is a mango 'salsa'. Dice half a small red onion finely, dice half a mango (or a can), dice a small red chili, roughly chop a handful of coriander leaves, mix.
I hope you enjoy these, they honestly are outrageously easy and chock full of good stuff. :)
If you have a favourite veggie burger recipe that I should try let me know!
Keep being awesome, and remember that every little thing you do to try to be better is better than not.
xo
Cait
Labels: budget, recipe, vegan, vegetarianism, zero waste
