Category Archives: Vegetarian Burgers + Sandwiches

Roasted Corn + Pepper + Bean Sliders

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I’m reminded once again how much I love making veggie burgers.

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I just love making a big batch to enjoy with Greg for dinner, and then having enough to make lunch for each of us for days.

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I usually keep it uncooked in a container, and then cook the burgers when I’m readying lunch.

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These particular ones were sliders for us, but could totally be bigger if that’s what you want. We went with sliders because we received some awesome challah sliders from Wild Flour Bakery at market. They were so good, and made these burgers even better. The sliders didn’t last long.

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These veggie burgers are utilizing the first sweet corn of the summer. I think about ears of sweet corn all year long, but when I eat it for the first time each summer, it’s like I forgot how amazing it really is. The corn in these burgers was my first this year and I just could not get enough. I never want veggie burgers without sweet corn again.

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We topped these sliders simply. Just some cheese. That is not typical around here. We usually have more toppings on burgers than actual ingredients in the burgers. But, for this one, I wanted the patty to be the star. With a slice of melty cheese, it was, in such a great way.

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This is a great, simple summer recipe. It utilizes fresh veggies and really has very few extras. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

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Ingredients
Olive oil
2 ears of corn
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
1 medium onion
3 medium celery stalks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can white beans
1 can black beans
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 egg
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
Slider rolls
Cheddar cheese, for topping

Start with the corn. If you have a grill, I suggest grilling the corn. I don’t have a grill, so I broiled my corn. I lightly brushed each ear with olive oil, set it on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler for several minutes, until slightly charred. Once the corn is done, let it cool and then remove the kernels.

Finely chop the peppers, onion and celery. Place about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic and stir. Add the peppers, onion and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until veggies are just soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large  mixing bowl, mash the black and white beans with a potato masher or a fork. Add the onion powder, egg, breadcrumbs, cooked veggies and corn. Stir well, to combine everything.

To make sliders or burgers, shape bean/veggie mixture into patties and cook in a pan over medium heat until crispy on each side and heated through. I used olive oil to cook mine. Serve on rolls with cheese or go bunless!

Enjoy!

Portobello Sandwiches + Oven Fries

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I’ve got something a little different for you today.

I have two things for you. And I’m going to show you how I made them.

Balsamic portobello mushroom sandwiches with crispy onion, melty cheese and fresh tomato. Yes. And, baked french fries.

This super simple, quick and easy meal will amaze you!

I would say that neither of these are exactly recipes. They are ideas, really. Simple ideas. And two things that can become a regular weeknight meal.

For the easy oven fries, start with a potato (or two or three — this is very easily doubled, tripled, etc. for how many you need!)

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Cut the potato in half.

And then cut the halves in half to make quarters.

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And then again, cut the quarters in half.

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Take the quarters, and slice them into fries.

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Put the fries into a bowl and drizzle with some olive oil.

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And then season those fries. I used salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika and garlic salt. Look below for specific amounts.

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Toss those fries up so that they all get evenly coated.

And then, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper is not completely necessary, but will make cleaning up easier!

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While the fries are baking away in the oven, it’s on to the sandwich!

Start by prepping the ingredients. Slice a tomato, onion and some cheese.

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Then take care of the onions. You are going to cook them in very hot oil to sort of flash fry them. Read below for detailed instructions. Here is what they will look like once they are done.

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Then, take a nice, big portobello mushroom.

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Pull off the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

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Heat a pan over medium heat with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place the mushroom in the pan.

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Let the mushroom cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. When it’s done, it should be soft and will have shrunk in size.

Once the ‘shroom is soft, turn up the heat to medium high. Pour some balsamic vinegar into the pan. And stand back. It may splash everywhere. You will have some cleaning up to do!

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Let the mushroom cook in the balsamic for an additional 3-4 minutes and then turn off heat and place the sliced cheese on the mushroom.

To assemble, first, take a bun. Any bun. One that will make you happy!

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Place the tomatoes on that bun. Some fresh, ripe, juicy, red tomatoes. I used two, sliced thick.

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Then, the balsamic ‘shroom that now has melty delicious cheese on it.

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Top that mushroom with crispy pan fried onion rings.

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And there you have it, a portobello sandwich!

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Smash down, cut in half, dig right in. However you prefer. Go for it.

It will be good. And it will be messy!

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This is one of my favorite quick and easy meals. It takes no time at all and has few, simple ingredients that make for a not-messy kitchen after.

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I hope that you will enjoy this meal as much as I do!

Ingredients
*For one. This recipe is very easily multiplied.
1 potato
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt
1 portobello mushroom
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Sliced tomato
Sliced red onion
Cheese (I used fontina)

Preheat oven to 400*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Start with the potato. Slice it in half. Slice the halves in half to make quarters. Slice the quarters in half. Then slice into fries. Add the fries to a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the seasoning. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, a pinch of paprika and a pinch of garlic salt. Toss well to evenly coat the fries. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Clean the mushroom. Remove the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions. The key here is to make sure the oil is very hot before you add them. They will sort of flash fry and get caramelized and crispy, quickly. Once they are done (mine took about 5 minutes), remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to the same pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the mushroom and let cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. When it’s done, the mushroom should be soft and have shrunk in size. Turn the heat to medium-high and then add the balsamic vinegar. Let the mushroom cook and additional 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheese slices to the mushroom.

Assemble the sandwich by placing the sliced tomato on a bun. Top with the mushroom that now has melted cheese on it, and then the red onions.

Take the fries out of the oven and enjoy the meal!

Sweet Potato + Black Bean Burgers with Curry Ketchup

11 Replies

I’ve made more burgers for you!

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I don’t exactly consider these veggie burgers. The last burgers I made for you were definitely veggie burgers. They were packed with veggies. These burgers are simpler, with much fewer ingredients. They really only have one veggie in them + sweet potatoes and beans.

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Are sweet potatoes veggies? Greg and I always do this thing where we count the number of veggies in the meals that we eat. I feel like I always count sweet potatoes.

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I loved the black bean + cilantro burgers I made for you, but they are just a bit time consuming. They don’t take that much time, but this time around I wanted something that can really be whipped up any night of the week, easily and quickly.

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The roasted sweet potatoes lend the perfect texture to these burgers. They are soft + binding. Also, delicious + flavorful. The black beans add  great texture as well, and go great with sweet potatoes. I love caramelized red onion, and also think that they + sweet potatoes are a great combination.

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I made these burgers vegan by using Dijon mustard as a “wet” ingredient rather than an egg. I’m not vegan, but I’m vegan-interested. I also thought recently – if people who eat meat try to go meatless once a week (Meatless Monday), what can already-non-meat-eating people do? They can try to go vegan once a week. So, here is my attempt at once-a-week vegan eating. Dijon instead of an egg. I’ll take it. 🙂

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Also, I topped these burgers simply. Some greens and some curry ketchup. Yes, curry ketchup!

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I first heard of curry ketchup from Greg’s mom. She said she made it and I was immediately super interested. I had never heard of it. And then, Greg and I went out to eat with his sister and we had fries with curry ketchup. It did not disappoint at all. I loved it!

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I followed this recipe. And love it. It will be good on so many things! And, if you don’t want to make your own ketchup, you can undoubtedly just stir some curry powder into ketchup from a bottle.

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You’ve got to try this. Sweet potatoes + black beans + caramelized red onion + curry ketchup = one delicious burger.

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
Olive oil
1 medium red onion
Salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 – 15 oz. can black beans
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350*. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Combine the sweet potatoes with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss well to coat the potatoes. Roast on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are very soft.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, dice the red onion. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the hot oil with a pinch of salt. Stir, and let cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes, or until onions begin to brown. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.

When the sweet potatoes are done roasting, add them to a bowl and mash them using a potato masher. I left mine semi-chunky for texture, but they can also be mashed well so there are no chunks left. Add the black beans to the bowl and mash again, to incorporate the beans. Add the red onion, breadcrumbs and Dijon mustard. Stir well to combine everything. The mixture should be thick + gooey.

Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Form the mixture into patties and cook in the oil for about five minutes on each side, or until the burgers are golden brown, slightly crispy and warmed through.

*Notes:
-You could definitely use an egg here instead of the Dijon, if mustard is not your thing. If using an egg, substitute one egg for all of the mustard. Using the mustard definitely gives the burgers a mustard-y taste.
-To make this gluten free, just use certified gluten free breadcrumbs.
-Click here for the curry ketchup recipe. Seriously so delicious!

Smoky Black Bean + Cilantro Veggie Burgers

19 Replies

I made veggie burgers for your Monday!

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Have you guys heard of Meatless Monday?

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It is a national campaign encouraging people to limit their meat consumption by not eating it on Monday.

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By going meatless on Mondays!

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I think that it’s a great idea.

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What better way to start a week than with something fresh and healthy? That makes you feel satisfied and nourished. And with these veggie burgers, also delicious.

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They are smoky from paprika, cumin and chili powder.

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They have a bit of spice from crushed red pepper.

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They are bright and fresh from lime and cilantro.

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The thick and creamy texture from the black beans is perfect.

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Try serving on a bun and topped with avocado, salsa and an extra squeeze of lime. Or, over a bed of greens. I’ve been loving both ways.

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Whether you are trying to cut out meat or not, you should try these burgers! They will please meat lovers and veggie lovers alike!

Ingredients
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1/2 of a red pepper
1/2 of a green pepper
1/2 of a yellow onion
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2- 15 oz. cans of black beans
1 c. bread crumbs (I used panko)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lime
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Dice the carrots, celery, peppers and onions very fine.  I used a mini food chopper to get the veggies diced very small. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, to flavor the oil. Add diced veggies to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until veggies are soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

Drain and rinse black beans. Add to a large bowl and mash using a potato masher or the back of a fork.

To the bowl with the black beans add the breadcrumbs, egg, onion powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cilantro and lime juice. Stir well. Then add the cooked veggies. Stir well to incorporate everything. Add salt and pepper, if desired.

Make this mixture into rounded patties. This should make about 6 to 8 burgers, depending on the size.

In a pan over medium heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the patties and cook 5-6 minutes on each side, or until slightly crisp and cooked through.

Enjoy!