Sometimes I find it hard to keep up with friends I used to live with now that we've all moved out of the dorms, but throwing little dinners keeps us in touch! This time I invited two close friends and decided to make them homemade burgers! It was pretty difficult, especially because I've only made burgers once before and they weren't all that tasty...but these...these are SO tasty. The cayenne pepper really gives it a good kick.
May I present a Vegan Lion original: black bean - lentil Lion Burgers!!
Active prep time: 1-2 hours
Passive prep time: 24 hours (for soaking the black beans)
Cook time: 15 minutes
Makes: 16-20 patties
Ingredients:
- 1 16oz bag of black beans (soaked/cooked according to directions)
- 8oz lentils (any color will do, I used green)
- 1/2 cup cooked rice
- 3-4 medium sized carrots, shredded (small amount finely chopped, instead of shredded OK)
- 1/2 green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 4oz can diced green chile peppers
- ~1/2 medium yellow onion (I used partially fresh onions and partially pre-cooked I had left over from a vegan easter roast)
- 6-7 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts (optional)
- 1/8 cup flour
- 2 egg equivalents (I used flax eggs - click here to learn how to make one!)
- Olive oil for cooking
- Whole wheat hamburger buns
- 1 tsp basil
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp tarragon
- 3/8 tsp ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp of dill
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 10-20 shakes of green Tobasco hot sauce
- sliced cucumbers (I find these 10x better than pickles)
- sliced tomato
- kale
- mushrooms sauteed in red wine or red wine vinegar (make enough for about 5 per burger)
1. Prepare black beans, lentils, and rice. Lentils should be soft, but still hold their shape. I cooked mine (green lentils) for about 40 minutes.
2. Shred carrots, mince garlic, chop onion and pepper.
2. Combine chopped veggies and garlic in a LARGE bowl, add canned green chiles and mix!
3. Meanwhile, drain the cooked black beans super well and put into a medium sized bowl. Then use potato masher to mash them (see below). You want to leave some whole and half beans intact for texture, but beware: fewer mashed beans = patties more likely to fall apart.
4. Combine lentils and rice and mix them into the vegetables. This will take some muscle, but keep going!
5. Prepare spices in small bowl. Add hemp hearts, then mix into the lentil-veggie bowl. Again, work through the pain to get it well integrated! Taste and make sure its as spicy as you like it!
6. Now, add the flour and the flax eggs (I used flax meal to make these and it still worked fine! Also, refrigeration is key!). Continue mixing VERY well.
7. Form patties. I made 18 but some were really big! Freeze all extras.
8. Heat olive oil on medium heat before adding burgers. Cook time will take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes depending on how hot the pan is and how big the burgers are! General tip: take your time between flips and flatten the patties with the spatula often to ensure they don't fall apart.
9. Prepare mushrooms while waiting on the burgers. I used the same pan! First heat olive oil, then add mushrooms and red wine vinegar. Saute for just a few minutes on medium heat. These are SO perfect with Lion Burgers. Highly recommended.
10. Make a dorky table arrangement for the guests....
11. Build your burger and enjoy!
I had so much fun making these burgers! They are definitely the best burgers I've ever made -- totally worth the effort. And the best part? This recipe makes so many you can have more than one dinner party to show of your cooking skills!
Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
-Laura
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