Bean burgers!
I am on an ever-continuing quest to find the perfect veggie burger.
It has been many years since I stopped buying the pre-made, frozen, in a box variety. Those just have too many questionable ingredients and are way high in unhealthy ones as well! We have been groomed to think that because it is a "veggie" burger, that it is somehow healthier for us. Not exactly.
Many pre-made veggie patties have all sorts of "fillers" that are not necessarily good for your health.
Most also contain very high sodium, take Boca Burgers: these were a popular variety for a while, not sure if they still are?
They contain "Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Wheat Gluten, Contains Less than 2% of Methylcellulose, Salt, Caramel Color, Dried Onions, Yeast Extract, Sesame Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Natural and Artificial Flavor (Non-Meat), Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate."
So the last two ingredients sound really weird, but they are basically sodium. What is concerning to me are the "artificial flavors" and caramel coloring. Also, really there is a lack of vegetables in this burger.
Here's a look at Morning Star's grillers original veggie patties:
"WATER, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY FLOUR, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), EGG WHITES, CALCIUM CASEINATE, CORNSTARCH. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF ONION POWDER, SOY SAUCE POWDER (SOY SAUCE [SOYBEANS, SALT, WHEAT]), METHYLCELLULOSE, COOKED ONION AND CARROT JUICE CONCENTRATE, SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, GARLIC POWDER, SPICES, SUGAR, GUM ACACIA, WHEY, YEAST EXTRACT, XANTHAN GUM, POTATO STARCH, TOMATO PASTE (TOMATOES), ONION JUICE CONCENTRATE."
Too bad if you are a vegan, these contain egg in them!
Another variety, probably one of the best ones as it actually contains real vegetable matter and nuts and seeds! Is Amy's veggie burger, but even they say that their burgers contain a whopping 580mg of sodium per burger! That is a really high amount!
Still their ingredients aren't too bad, just sad their sodium is so incredibly high.
"ORGANIC MUSHROOMS, ORGANIC BULGUR WHEAT, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC OATS, , FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC CELERY, ORGANIC CARROTS, ORGANIC WALNUTS, WHEAT GLUTEN, ORGANIC POTATOES, SEA SALT, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC GARLIC."
So basically, veggie burgers are made to seem like the healthy alternative to meat, and they certainly are, if done right. We have to avoid all this processed food and work with whole foods. This is where the most health benefits will be found! Think of processed veggie burgers like granola bars, once touted as a health food but turned out to be basically candy bars in disguise!
A homemade veggie burger that tastes incredible is more than possible! Just scour the internet for "homemade veggie patties" and you will probably get hundreds of results, why buy the processed frozen kinds?
What's great is that homemade veggie patties can be integrated into your meal prep routine as well. Simple make up 4 or 5 patties at the weekend and freeze them, that way you can pop one out for a quick meal during the week!
This weeks' favorite is a cumin, white bean and sweet potato veggie burger! It is really tasty, I baked it so it came out nice and crispy on the outside, but still soft and "beany" on the inside. I like to see how many beneficial ingredients I can sneak into my veggie patties and this one is great because I was able to get in sunflower seeds for their healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals such as E, magnesium, selenium and zinc.
This burger also contains walnuts, which contain your omega precursors as well as some healthy fats. Sweet potato for your healthy starches, vitamin C and A, and beta-carotene! Navy beans because beans = health! Check it out, all of the Blue Zones in the world are known to consume beans and legumes on a daily basis! Blue Zones are where the longest lived and healthiest people are. And also oats! Oats in your diet are never a bad thing, they provide extremely beneficial fiber, which is essential for a healthy gut.
*Pro tip: if it's asparagus season, try roasting some of these tender greens to eat alongside your veggie burger instead of fries? It's a nice way to mix it up and they taste delicious!
Start by taking your food processor and grinding up the sunflower seeds, walnuts and oats until well combined:
Then add into the food processor your beans, sweet potato, seasonings and tomato paste, pulse until well combined:
It should be sticky, but able to scoop and mold with a spoon. I got 4 good sized patties from this, I placed them on a pizza stone that I lined with parchment paper:
Smooth them as much as possible, since they are a bit gooey just do the best you can, as you can see mine had swirls on the top from the spoon, but they still tasted hella good :p
Bake in a preheated oven at 425F for about 35 minutes, keep an eye on them, take them out when they are crispy on the outside but not hard through.
Here is a version I did with some finely chopped red pepper and a little parsley in it, which was also delicious!
Top these babies with avocado, sriracha mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles, tomato, lettuce, onion - whatever floats your boat I bet you will find these yummy!
So here's to taking our health into our own hands!
It has been many years since I stopped buying the pre-made, frozen, in a box variety. Those just have too many questionable ingredients and are way high in unhealthy ones as well! We have been groomed to think that because it is a "veggie" burger, that it is somehow healthier for us. Not exactly.
Many pre-made veggie patties have all sorts of "fillers" that are not necessarily good for your health.
Most also contain very high sodium, take Boca Burgers: these were a popular variety for a while, not sure if they still are?
They contain "Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Wheat Gluten, Contains Less than 2% of Methylcellulose, Salt, Caramel Color, Dried Onions, Yeast Extract, Sesame Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Natural and Artificial Flavor (Non-Meat), Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate."
So the last two ingredients sound really weird, but they are basically sodium. What is concerning to me are the "artificial flavors" and caramel coloring. Also, really there is a lack of vegetables in this burger.
Here's a look at Morning Star's grillers original veggie patties:
"WATER, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY FLOUR, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), EGG WHITES, CALCIUM CASEINATE, CORNSTARCH. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF ONION POWDER, SOY SAUCE POWDER (SOY SAUCE [SOYBEANS, SALT, WHEAT]), METHYLCELLULOSE, COOKED ONION AND CARROT JUICE CONCENTRATE, SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, GARLIC POWDER, SPICES, SUGAR, GUM ACACIA, WHEY, YEAST EXTRACT, XANTHAN GUM, POTATO STARCH, TOMATO PASTE (TOMATOES), ONION JUICE CONCENTRATE."
Too bad if you are a vegan, these contain egg in them!
Another variety, probably one of the best ones as it actually contains real vegetable matter and nuts and seeds! Is Amy's veggie burger, but even they say that their burgers contain a whopping 580mg of sodium per burger! That is a really high amount!
Still their ingredients aren't too bad, just sad their sodium is so incredibly high.
"ORGANIC MUSHROOMS, ORGANIC BULGUR WHEAT, ORGANIC ONIONS, ORGANIC OATS, , FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC CELERY, ORGANIC CARROTS, ORGANIC WALNUTS, WHEAT GLUTEN, ORGANIC POTATOES, SEA SALT, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC GARLIC."
So basically, veggie burgers are made to seem like the healthy alternative to meat, and they certainly are, if done right. We have to avoid all this processed food and work with whole foods. This is where the most health benefits will be found! Think of processed veggie burgers like granola bars, once touted as a health food but turned out to be basically candy bars in disguise!
A homemade veggie burger that tastes incredible is more than possible! Just scour the internet for "homemade veggie patties" and you will probably get hundreds of results, why buy the processed frozen kinds?
What's great is that homemade veggie patties can be integrated into your meal prep routine as well. Simple make up 4 or 5 patties at the weekend and freeze them, that way you can pop one out for a quick meal during the week!
This weeks' favorite is a cumin, white bean and sweet potato veggie burger! It is really tasty, I baked it so it came out nice and crispy on the outside, but still soft and "beany" on the inside. I like to see how many beneficial ingredients I can sneak into my veggie patties and this one is great because I was able to get in sunflower seeds for their healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals such as E, magnesium, selenium and zinc.
This burger also contains walnuts, which contain your omega precursors as well as some healthy fats. Sweet potato for your healthy starches, vitamin C and A, and beta-carotene! Navy beans because beans = health! Check it out, all of the Blue Zones in the world are known to consume beans and legumes on a daily basis! Blue Zones are where the longest lived and healthiest people are. And also oats! Oats in your diet are never a bad thing, they provide extremely beneficial fiber, which is essential for a healthy gut.
*Pro tip: if it's asparagus season, try roasting some of these tender greens to eat alongside your veggie burger instead of fries? It's a nice way to mix it up and they taste delicious!
Navy bean and sweet potato patties
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds, unsalted
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 3/4 cup oats
- 1 can, rinsed, navy beans
- 1/2-3/4 small sweet potato
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp cumin
- sprinkle of salt (1/4 tsp?)
- few grinds of black pepper
- Optional: red pepper
Start by taking your food processor and grinding up the sunflower seeds, walnuts and oats until well combined:
Then add into the food processor your beans, sweet potato, seasonings and tomato paste, pulse until well combined:
It should be sticky, but able to scoop and mold with a spoon. I got 4 good sized patties from this, I placed them on a pizza stone that I lined with parchment paper:
Smooth them as much as possible, since they are a bit gooey just do the best you can, as you can see mine had swirls on the top from the spoon, but they still tasted hella good :p
Bake in a preheated oven at 425F for about 35 minutes, keep an eye on them, take them out when they are crispy on the outside but not hard through.
Here is a version I did with some finely chopped red pepper and a little parsley in it, which was also delicious!
Top these babies with avocado, sriracha mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles, tomato, lettuce, onion - whatever floats your boat I bet you will find these yummy!
So here's to taking our health into our own hands!
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