When a friend of mine suggested I make these veggie burgers, I knew I had to try them. I always want to make homemade veggie burgers. Recently we made these veggie burgers. They were awesome, but completely different than these beet ones. I had these on my to do list for way too long. I really should have made them sooner because they are SO good, not so hard to make, and I want to make them all the time now! Think of all the months of veggie burgers I’ve missed…actually, I try not to think about it. Of course the pictures of this recipe are not so pretty. I blame the beets.
Try to cut the beets as teeny as possible. Good thing Rayna was around the chop – she loves to chop things into teeny little cubes! One of the best parts of this recipe is the texture of the burgers, which comes from dicing all the ingredients. So make sure to pay attention to your chopping! And don’t take out your food processor for this one, either. You’ll get mush instead of texture.
I’ve never been to The Northstar Cafe, or to Ohio for the matter, so I can’t tell you if this recipe is authentic or even close to the flavor of those veggie burgers. But I can tell you that they’re yummy. So try them.
Best-Ever Beet and Bean Burgers
Inspired by the veggie burgers at Northstar Cafe in Columbus, Ohio
makes about 6 burgers (or 12 small ones)
- 1/2 cup brown rice (doubled if you like more rice)
- 1 onion, diced small
- 3 red beets (about 1 pound), diced small
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- Juice from half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Partially cook the brown rice: add 1 cup water along with some salt and the rice to a saucepan and place over high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 34-40 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the beets and cover until they soften, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the cider vinegar and scrape the bottom of the pan.
5. In a large bowl, mash the black beans with a fork.
6. Add the beets, spices, oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the black beans. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Add the flour and mix until you can’t see any more white.
8. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add enough oil to just coat the bottom.
9. Scoop up about a cup of the burger mixture and shape into a patty. Drop into the pan (it should sizzle) and reduce heat to medium high. Repeat with as many patties will fit in the pan.
10. Cook for 2 minutes and then flip over. Cook for another 2 minutes.
11. Serve on buns or challah rolls
