Saturday, October 12, 2013

Kidney Bean Cakes (Bean & Veg Burgers)

Kidney bean burgers are wonderful - on its own or on a bun piled with all the traditional additions of lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, etc for a very satisfying meal. Or, they may be tucked inside the pockets of pita breads with your favorite fixings. I like serving these burgers with salsa, tomato chutney or  a simple tomato sauce.

The burgers may be made a day or two ahead and grilled with a little barbecue sauce to warm them. These burgers are not as tough as the store-bought ones and hence need to be handled gently while grilling. I made these with only the ingredients allowed on Paji's Ayurvedic anti-inflammatory diet and he really enjoyed his special treat topped with peperonata :).  But really, one does not have to be on a special diet to enjoy these!

I used matzo meal since bread crumbs were a no-no; crushed or coarsely powdered dried chapatis or any plain unleavened whole wheat bread or crackers may also be used. Matzo are plain unleavened whole wheat crackers prepared without any yeast or other additives. Regular bread crumbs may be used also if you wish.

You may use only oats/oat bran or crushed tortilla chips instead of matzo/bread crumbs and whole wheat flour to make it gluten-free. If you use canned beans, you may not need too much salt as they typically have lots of it already.

 Kidney Bean Cake/Burger

12 burgers

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Kidney beans
1 Carrot, grated
1 small Red Onion, finely chopped
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped
1 small bunch Cilantro, stems and leaves, chopped
2 tsp ground Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 clove Garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup Oats or oat bran, gluten-free if you like
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Matzo Meal
A little Whole Wheat flour, as needed (see top for other suggestions)
A little Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other oil to cook

Whole Wheat Buns, English muffins, Pita bread, etc to serve
Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickles, etc to serve
Fresh Salsa, Ketchup, BBQ sauce, prepared Mustard, etc to serve

Method:

Mash the drained beans in a large bowl or use a food processor to mash them coarsely.

Add the other ingredients except the whole wheat flour and mix or pulse just until combined.  If the mixture is too soft, add the whole wheat flour and mix well.

Chill the bean mixture for about one or two hours or overnight.

Form the cold bean mixture into twelve patties and cook them in a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over low-medium heat on both sides until browned - about 5-6 minutes per side.

Kidney Bean Cake/Burger cooking

Kidney Bean Burger ready to serve

Serve hot with your favorite accompaniments or on their own. Enjoy!!

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