So I know you're looking at the title of this post and are thinking (a) what the eff is beanwah? (2) is that even a grain? and (d) why is her husband sweating? I'm prepared to answer the first two of those questions.
Beanwah is one of those fun words like 'froyo.' I just combined beans and quinoa (remember, it's pronounced keen-wah). Unfortunately, quinoa was not one of the aforementioned grains we serendipitously acquired (see my last post). It is, however, one of those 'indie grains' as I'm calling them. 'Indie grain' is just a cute way of saying psuedo-grain...and in this case it's actually a seed. For a refresher course on the super awesome nutritional benefits of quinoa, see my post about Apple Quinoa Salad.
Weather update: now it's raining sideways...just a few degrees from horizontal...quite amazing actually.
Anyway, these Beanwah Burgers are awesome. I adapted the recipe from this Vegetarian Times dish, which calls for a lot of water. While the water does stretch the recipe, it makes the burgers a little more mushy. The second time around, I omitted the water, doubled the recipe and saw a huge improvement. The third time, I messed up the recipe, added less water and saw an even bigger improvement. They're not the same consistency as a Morning Star Black Bean Patty, so don't expect that--expect better! These burgers will be made from scratch by you, will contain only ingredients that you can pronounce and find in your pantry/local supermarket, and will have way less sodium. Without further ado, I give you...
Beanwah BurgersI have a friend who likes to pronounce 'burgers' with a bit of an accent...'boy-gahs.' I encourage you to use that pronunciation when referring to this recipe.
1 cup quinoa
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried maters
2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp herb & spice seasoning (or any grill seasoning you like)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa & reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15-20 min or until all liquid is absorbed.
Meanwhile, place onion and sun-dried maters in a medium skillet (no need to add extra oil; the oil from the maters will be enough to saute the onion). Cook 2 to 3 min or until fragrant. Add seasoning, beans, garlic, and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 3 to 5 min or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Transfer the bean-onion mixture to your food processor along with 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa. Process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the remaining quinoa. Give it a taste (careful it's hot!) and season with more salt & pepper if you think it's needed.
Shape the bean mixture into patties (use a 1/2 cup measuring scoop for each patty). If your baking sheet is NOT non-stick, make sure to spray it with cooking spray before placing the patties on it. Bake 20 min, or until patties are crisp on top. Then flip and bake 10 min more or until both sides are crisp and brown.
Serve the patties on whole wheat buns and dress them like you would any other burger (they're also great with guacamole). You can also go naked (no bun) like I did in the picture above. Really, just do whatever strikes your fancy.
For a crazy vegetarian side dish that's totally en vogue right now, bake up some kale chips. I bought a bag of pre-cut kale from the store & just removed the large stems. Turn the oven up to 375. Make sure the kale is good & dry, then spray with cooking spray. Top it off with salt & pepper or your favorite seasoning and bake for 15 min or until the kale is cripsy. Check out this easy how-to video from Kath Eats Real Food.
Ok, I just have to ask. Do you or Travis take the pics of the food? It always looks so yummy! The pics arent off the Internet, are they?
ReplyDeleteLuv u two!