Buckwheat and Black Bean Veggie Patty

Happy New Year, readers!We’d like to start the new year by renewing the resolution to live well - that means working out more, sleeping better, and of course eating healthier! So, it’s only apt to start 2017 with a delicious and healthy recipe - something that you can make ahead and freeze, so you always have a nutritious option on hand whenever hungry. A veggie patty with buckwheat and black beans as a base has excellent texture and can be paired with any vegetables and seasoned with your favorite spices. I added most veggies that I had on hand - carrots, beets and mushrooms. I also added some boiled potatoes for extra binding instead of breadcrumbs/oats.

I’m sure you are aware of the amazing nutritional benefits of most of these ingredients, but in case you’re not into buckwheat yet, I’d strongly recommend trying it. The roasted buckwheat groats work best as they don’t get sticky when cooked (boiled, just like rice). They are hardy and have somewhat of a nutty flavor, they’re rich in minerals and a good source of fiber. More information can be found here.

Ingredients: (Makes ~20 patties)

1½ cups cooked buckwheat groats

2 Tbsp chopped pecans/walnuts

1½ cups cooked black beans (or one 15 oz can), mashed

2 medium red potatoes, boiled and chopped

2 medium beets, boiled/roasted, peeled and finely chopped

4 oz mushrooms (any variety), finely chopped

1-2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1” ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp paprika

Salt to taste

½ tsp coconut oil + more for pan frying the patties

Heat ½ tsp of coconut oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for a few seconds until fragrant. Add mushrooms and carrots, add turmeric powder and season with salt. Cover and cook stirring occasionally until all the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated.

In a large bowl mix the cooked buckwheat, black beans, potatoes, beets, pecans and the carrot & mushroom mixture. Season with salt and paprika. Mix well until everything comes together. I find it best to mix by hand, mashing the ingredients as you go.

Make small patties about ½” thick by rolling the mixture between your palms, or roll out the mixture on a parchment covered cookie sheet and cut circles using a cookie cutter or a glass. Keep re-rolling the mixture and making patties until all of it is used.

The patties are now ready to be pan fried or frozen to be used later. To freeze the patties, arrange them in a single layer on a plate/cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Freeze them covered for an hour, and then transfer to an airtight container. The patties don’t need to be defrosted before cooking.

To cook the patties, add a couple drops of coconut oil to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Gently transfer a couple patties to the pan, cover and cook until browned on the bottom. Flip the patties (adding more oil if needed), and cook covered until the other side is browned. Although I haven't done this yet, if you're cooking a big batch, you could bake them on a greased baking pan at 375 F until browned, flipping them as necessary.

While these make excellent burgers, you can add them to any vegetarian dish such as pasta or salads as a delicious source of protein.

~Gayatri

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Chickpea Burger Patties

Making bean burgers might be the most fun way to use up small quantities of veggies you have left after making salads or other dishes. It’s completely customizable, extremely flavorful and nutrition packed with all the vegetables, and the bean base makes it a good source of vegetarian protein. You can even make a larger batch and freeze some for later - I like to cook them, wrap individually in plastic wrap, then keep them in airtight container in freezer. Making burger patties yourself gives you the advantage of using just the ingredients and quantities you think are good for you, skipping the non-essential fats, sugars, and flavor enhancers that some processed foods might have.

 

This version uses chickpeas, but any other beans could be used instead. The vegetables added to it can also be varied based on what you have or what you like. I love adding beets to burgers, and this time I also had some mini peppers, basil, and green onion on hand. I used an egg for binding, however you could eliminate that if needed by using a paste of flaxseed powder and water, or crumbling up a slice or two of bread moistened with water. Oats help with binding, too, and also add texture to the burgers. To enhance the flavor, you could add any spices/herbs of your choice, maybe even a spoonful of ketchup or pesto. Keep it as simple as you’d like, or go crazy with the add-ins - it will be delicious either way!

Ingredients: (~5-6 patties)

1 can of chickpeas - drained and rinsed

1/2 med onion (~1/4 cup finely chopped)

2-3 mini sweet peppers - chopped (~ 1/4 cup)

1 medium red beet - cooked and finely chopped

2 large basil leaves - finely chopped

1-2 sprigs of green onion (chopped)

1/2 tsp oregano

1 Tbsp honey mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

1 clove of garlic - minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)

1-2 Tbsp flaxseed powder

Salt to taste

Paprika to taste

1/3 cup oats

1 egg - beaten

Oil/butter

 

Mash the chickpeas leaving them somewhat coarse (or pulse in a food processor). Add the remaining ingredients except for oil/butter and mix well until everything comes together.

 

Heat a pan on medium-low, and coat it with a very thin layer of oil/butter. Form a ½ inch thick patty with the chickpea mixture and gently place it in the pan. Cover and cook until the bottom is browned. Flip the burger and cook uncovered until the other side is browned.

 

If you like you could add a slice of cheese on top after flipping the burger once. It will get nice and melty while the other side cooks. The chickpea burger patties are great to snack on with ketchup for dipping, or can be chopped up and used in salads. But if you go the more traditional way and make a burger, you surely won’t miss the meat!

 

~Gayatri

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Stuffed Potato Patties

I gave up eating meat a long time ago, but I do remember a few meat and fish dishes that I loved. One of them was kheema patties. Kheema is minced meat, and these little parcels of goat kheema are enclosed in a soft potato coating, then pan fried until golden brown. Just delicious! So delicious in fact, that every once in a while I still like to make “fake” kheema patties - with the filling made from mushrooms, peas, soy granules (like Nutrela), or Morningstar grillers crumbles (these are my favorite!, and also made from soy).

Ingredients (Makes ~10)

Filling

2 cups frozen Morningstar grillers crumbles (or minced meat, mushrooms, peas, any other chopped vegetables)

1 small onion chopped

~1 cup packed spinach leaves - finely chopped

1-2 cloves garlic - minced

1 tsp oil

2 tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp garam masala

⅛ tsp turmeric powder

Salt

Black pepper (optional - just salt and pepper can also be used to season the filling instead of the other spices)

½ tsp lemon juice (optional)

Coating

5-6 small potatoes - boiled, peeled and mashed

1 Tbsp minced spinach

Salt

Frying

1 egg - beaten (Use a couple Tbsp of Eggbeaters if you don’t want leftover egg - but it can always be used to make a small omelette!)

Salt

Oil for shallow frying

For the filling, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Leave a Tbsp of spinach out for the coating, and add the rest to the onions. Add grillers crumbles and saute for a minute. Add the spices and season with salt. Once all the liquid has evaporated, add the lemon juice, mix well and take off the heat.

For the coating, mix 1 Tbsp minced spinach with the mashed potatoes and season with salt.

Assembling the patties

Take a little potato mixture and form a ball (about 1.5” in diameter). Flatten it out to about ¼” thick and add 1-1.5 Tbsp mixture in the center. Fold the edges over and seal. Gently shape into discs about 1” thick. Repeat until you run out of potato mixture or filling.

Frying the patties

Heat some oil over medium heat for shallow frying. Beat one egg and add a pinch of salt. Dip a prepared patty in the egg. You really only want a very thin coating of egg on the patties, so what I usually do after dipping them in egg is to wipe off the extra with my fingers before putting the patty in the pan. Shallow fry on one side for a minute or so until golden brown, then flip and fry the other side. Repeat with rest of the patties.

Enjoy warm with ketchup.

~Gayatri

Notes

• If using meat for the filling, adjust cooking time accordingly. You can also pre-cook the meat.

If you have any coating left over, its great on its own as mashed potatoes. If you have any filling left, it is also delicious on its own, but you can also mix it with the leftover beaten egg and make a nice omelette.  

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Stuffed potato patties with a flavorful filling and soft mashed potato coating with a nicely browned crusthttp://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2015/07/stuffed-potato-patties.html

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Thursday, July 16, 2015