Inspired By Christina Melton's Black Bean Bugers
2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/2 cup warm water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1 cup plain panko crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried onion powder
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
4 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
olive oil, as needed
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mash the black beans together with the oil until no whole beans are left. In another bowl, dissolve bullion cube in warm water.
2. Add onion and soy sauce. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients, garlic, and spices. Add all wet and dry ingredients to the bowl with the beans. Knead together for about 3 minutes, or until strings of gluten have formed. (I use a silicon icing spatula to clean sides/bottom of mixing bowl while kneading ingredients.)
3. Place the black bean dough on a piece of wax paper and form a "log" shape. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (easiest way is to cut in half, then half, then half again). To form patties, knead each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten into a patty shape, 3/4" to 1" thick. (When kneading ingredients, I don't squish between my fingers, but use my fists to keep folding everything together.)
4. Brush both sides of each patty with olive oil, place on baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Flip patties and bake another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. If you are making patties for next day, let them cool, then refrigerate. If eating now, pan fry indoors or grill outside for another 10 minutes. Serve with guacamole or a slice of avocado. (I lay a silicon baking sheet across my baking pan. Nothing ever sticks to silicon.)
Source of recipe: This is a recipe I got from a fellow Vegan off of Facebook, These are the best I have had. I modified a tad.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Tried these tonight. First comment: They were too salty for my taste, so I suggest to others who are sensitive to salt, cut down either on the soy sauce or the veggie bouillon. These have a "meaty" texture, I think because of all the wheat gluten. This could be a plus to some and a minus to others. They grew on me, as I ate more of them.
I think I might change the seasoning in the future. I like Indian-style burgesr-- with grated ginger, curry powder, cumin, and corriander. Also, it might be good to add some tomato-something to the mix--chopped up tomatoes, tomato paste, sauce, or ketchup.
Given their texture, these are good burgers to eat on buns with lettuce, sliced tomatoes, etc.
I might also try cutting down on the gluten a bit.
All in all, they give me the basis to experiment with a "meaty textured" veggie burger.
These are delicious; I will definitely make them again. I skipped the baking step because I was too hungry and just pan-fried the patties. It only made four patties for me, but they were pretty large. Before I started, I sauteed the onions and garlic just to ensure they were cooked, since I wasn't baking them. And I didn't have parsley or onion powder, but I added a little sage, liquid smoke, and poultry seasoning. I think the poultry seasoning made them a little too salty, but they were still delicious and were all gone within an hour of being made. I'll probably make more tomorrow. Thank you nnylear!
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