Chickpea Beet Veggie Burger

I’ve been avoiding red meat at different degrees since high school. Much to the chagrin of my Mexican compatriots, I don’t miss carne asada or tacos ever. BUT - I do have a weak spot for burgers and on rare occasions, I treat myself. The problem is that after the juicy flavor bomb comes the inevitable stomachache. So - veggie burgers to the rescue!

I don't pretend a vegan burger is a perfect substitute for medium-rare beef burger, but they are fantastic in their own way. A post by Minimalist Baker inspired me to try my own.

The recipe looks long, but with 10 ingredients, it’s easy! Chopping and prepping the ingredients is the hardest part of this, so enlist help or plan in advance (i.e. always have cooked quinoa in the fridge). The patties freeze well (see storage note) so you can make them in advance and finish cooking when ready to use.

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)

1 1/2 cups finely grated raw beets (save leaves, see note)

~1/3 cup raw almonds, crushed or ground into a loose meal (can sub walnuts)

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup finely diced shallot

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle powder (sub chili powder)

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons of water)

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for brushing patties

optional: worcestershire sauce

optional toppings: coconut chipotle lime dressing, avocado, sliced tomatoes, cashew cream

Preheat oven to 375°F (see cooking note)

Make flax egg by stirring ground flax and water, set aside. This helps binds the pattie.

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent, ~5 minutes. Stir in salt and spices, cook for ~30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup chickpeas and grated beets into a food processor. Pulse a few times, until coarsely ground into a rough paste, scraping down sides as needed (don’t over blend, you want the chickpeas to break down but you also want texture). Add remainder chickpeas, flax egg, cooked shallots and almond meal. Pulse a few more times until well combined (again, keep texture!). Transfer to a bowl, splash with worcestershire sauce (if using), and add cooked quinoa. Mix until cohesive. You can taste and adjust seasoning at this point.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray or olive oil. Form mixture into 8-10 patties, if desired using a cookie cutter or an empty jar lined with plastic wrap for a uniform shape. The thicker the patties, the longer they will take to cook but the “juicer” they’ll be.

Brush patties with olive oil and bake for 30-45 min (see cooking and storage note), flipping over halfway and brushing bottom with more olive oil.

Serve on small buns and top with mixed greens (see beet leaves note) and desired fixings.

Yields ~8-10 patties

Beet Leaves Note: beet leaves (and stems, if not too woody) are delicious. Here I chopped them up and sauteed with chopped garlic and olive oil until wilted. They make a great topping for the pattie.

Cooking Note: if pressed for time, make thinner patties and cook in a skillet. Lightly coat skillet with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Cook patties until brown on both sides – 3-4 minutes each. They won’t be as well done in the middle, but they will have a crispier crust.

Storage Note: these patties freeze well if not using the whole batch, or making in advance. Par-bake them at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, then cool and stack between parchment paper. Cover and freeze. When ready to use, place on baking sheet still frozen and bake at 375°F until desired texture/color is reached, ~25-35 minutes.

HAMBURGUESAS DE BETABEL Y GARBANZO

Ingredientes:

1 lata garbanzo 425 gramos, drenada y enjuagada (1 ½ taza cocido)

1 1/2 taza betabel finamente rallado

~1/3 taza almendras crudas, molidas

1 taza quinoa cocida

1 taza chalote finamente picado (~2 chalotes)

1 cucharadita comino

1 cucharadita chipotle en polvo

1/2 cucharadita pimientón ahumado

1/2 cucharadita sal

1 huevo de linaza (1 cucharada linaza molida + 3 cucharadas agua)

2 cucharaditas aceite de oliva, y más para rociar

opcional: salsa inglesa

toppings opcionales: aderezo de coco limón y chpotle, aguacate, tomates, crema de nuez de la india

Precalentar horno a 190°C

Preparar el "huevo de linaza": mezclar linaza con agua, y dejar a un lado. Esto ayuda a que las hamburguesas mantengan su forma.

Calentar aceite de oliva sobre fuego medio. Agregar chalotes picados, y cocinar hasta que estén suaves y traslúcidos, ~5 minutos. Agregar sal y especies, y cocer hasta fragante, ~30 segundos más. Quitar del fuego y dejar enfriar.

Combine 1 taza garbanzo y betabel rallado en procesador de alimentos. Pulse algunas veces, hasta que se haga una mezcla espesa y con textura, empujando lo que se pegue en las orillas hacia abajo para que se integre bien. Agregue el resto del garbanzo, el huevo de linaza, chalotes guisados, almendra molida. Pulse unas veces más hasta que este bien mezclado (ojo: que tenga textura!).

Pase la mezcla a un plato hondo grande, agregue un poco de salsa inglesa (si se desea), y agregue la quinoa. Mezcle bien hasta que la mezcla este cohesiva. Pruebe, ajuste el sazón.

Ponga una hoja de papel de pergamino sobre una charola de hornear y rocíe con aceite anti-adherente. Haga 8-10 hamburguesas de la mezcla de tamaño uniforme. Si desea, use un molde circular para galletas o un frasco vacío forrado con plástico. Entre más gruesas las hamburguesas más tiempo tardarán en hornear, pero estarán más “jugosas”.

Cepille un poco de aceite de oliva sobre las hamburguesas y hornee 30-45 minutos. Déle la vuelta con mucho cuidado a la mitad del tiempo de cocción, cepillando de nuevo con aceite de oliva.

Sirva sobre un pan, con lechugas frescas y toppings deseados.

Rinde unas ~8-10 hamburguesas