And now something to go on the Whole wheat oat burger bun....black bean hummus burgers. Hummus burgers you ask? Well, I decided to combine crushed garbanzo beans with whole black beans to create this unique and extremely flavorful burger. It's a little spicy, but if you've followed my recipes you know I like things a bit on the hotter side. Remember though, you can always leave out the heat and it will still be delicious. As I always say, you know your own heat tolerance. I'm using Vital Wheat Gluten along with garbanzo bean flour and oat flour so if you want to go gluten free use the xantham gum instead of the Gluten.
Ingredients.
1 15 oz can or black beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and thoroughly rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 onion chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 pint of crimini mushrooms chopped
1 to 2 Serrano chilies chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 handful of parsley (any kind) stems removed, leaves only
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup to one cup water or roasted vegetable stock for the sauteed vegetables if needed
1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/3 cup oat flour
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
(mix the two flours and wheat glute together so when you add them, 1/3 cup at a time, it will be a cohesive blend)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum (optional, adds firm texture and is natural. Don't use if using Wheat Gluten)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
In a food processor add the rinsed garbanzo beans, tomato paste, parsley, salt and pepper. You should have a sticky paste the consistency of peanut butter. Put the mixture into a bowl and combine the remaining ingredients of rinsed black beans, brown rice, the saute' mixture of onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic and chilies, and all remaining spices (cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika) and mix thoroughly. Add the flour 1/3 cup at a time and mix completely. Mixture should be fairly dry. If using the xantham gum, sprinkle it over the top of the mixture evenly, then thoroughly mix it into the mixture.
Now, put the entire mixture in the refrigerator and let it set up. This is a very sticky mixture and it will be easier to form burgers if it's cool and firm.
To heat the burgers, heat a Teflon or other non stick skillet until water dances off of it. Carefully put the burgers into a hot pan and don't move them. As with meat, people have a tendency to play with their food too much while cooking. Leave it alone and let it develop a crust. When it has a good crust, it will release from the pan cleanly with n(o)il. (a great tip when making bean burgers is to make them ahead of time and freeze them. Since they are so soft compared to regular burgers, they will stay together and cook more easily this way). Makes approximately nine 4 oz burgers.
These burgers are a bit softer than a meat burger or one without vital wheat gluten, so make sure you use soft buns. I serve these burger on your homemade whole wheat burger buns. Throw on a slice of tomato, some lettuce, maybe a little avocado, some Dijon mustard and ketchup, some n(o)il french fries and you've got a great comfort meal.
