We LOVE veggie burgers in our house. It is a great, reliable meal that can be as complicated as you make it, or as easy as this one: cook mushrooms & onions, blend it with your other ingredients, form into patties, heat & eat. Throughout my years of recipe creating, I have truly learned that less is more. I know that my readers don’t want recipes with a mile long ingredients list, half of which they’ve never heard of, and that the recipe shouldn’t take them more than an hour to throw together or I’ll lose them. Am I right?

So here you have my simplest burger recipe yet. It really has all the taste you’re looking for in a veggie patty, with a shorter list of ingredients, but yet, misses nothing. This burger is lovely in a bun with all the fixings, but because it has such a dense nutrient profile, it’s very filling, so feel free to experiment with some serving options: on a bed of lettuce, in a lettuce wrap, make mini meat patties instead of larger ones and serve them in a tortilla or in a taco. Be creative. Above all else, make these patties with pride and love, because they are nothing but goodness and are designed to make your body feel good, satisfied, joyful 💛

A few Nutrient Powerhouse Notes:

Health Benefits of Black Beans:

High in protein & fiber, satiating, AND low glycemic level
May help to lower blood pressure and prevent or manage diabetes
Supportive of strong & healthy digestion
May help to prevent Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, & other degenerative diseases
High in selenium, a potent antioxidant that can help lower free radical formation & prevent Cancer cells from proliferation. Selenium is also beneficial in preventing mental decline & neurological symptoms
Are beneficial to help maintain stable weight and may promote weight-loss

Health Benefits of Ground Flax:

High in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, beneficial for brain health, proper cell function, hormone health, paramount to heart health and disease prevention
High in minerals: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, all beneficial for bone health, nervous system support, hormonal and immune function
Rich source of lignans, key component in lowering Cancer risk
Rich in dietary fiber, may improve Cholesterol levels & lower blood pressure
Contain quality protein, may help to stability blood sugars, and may promote healthy weight

Easy Mushroom Bean Burgers

Makes 6-8 Medium Patties
Prep & Cook Time: 45 minutes

1 Large onion, diced
2 Tbsp coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
4 cups mushrooms, chopped (any mix will work)
Fresh pepper
1 14oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp brown rice flour
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a large frying pan, heat oil and onions over medium heat until onions start to soften. Add salt, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are cooked & a little bit browned around the edges. Season with pepper. Remove from heat.
In your food processor, combine cooked mushroom mix with all other burger ingredients and combine until all ingredients are well mixed together, but not overly smooth.
Form burger mix into patties (I like to use wet hands for this), and spread them out on a lined cookie sheet. Bake patties for 10 minutes, then flip and bake another 10 minutes (baking them in the oven will dry them out a bit so that they’re not too mushy). Serve right away or cool and freeze. Note: when you reheat these patties, I suggest frying them in a little oil on the stovetop, this will help them crisp up a bit.
Serve with whatever burger toppings you enjoy on a bun, without, or in whatever creative, genius way you like! ENJOY 😋

As always, if you make these burgers, please let me know how they turned out for you and how you served them! Better yet, take a fancy pic and post & tag me on social media! 🍔

Y-U-M!!! 😋
Rockin’ the New Year Plant-Based styles is making our bellies feel SO happy!
Inspired by the latest lentil challenge in our January Plant Based Transition Group, this burger has a few steps to make, but well worth the extra effort! This would be a great recipe to make on the weekend when you’re gearing up for a busy week of meal planning or when you’re hosting a dinner with some friends who are plant-based keeners (or are not, but could use some extra nutrients in their diet!). It makes a bunch of patties that can be used for dinner or lunch, can be served in a bun, on lettuce, in a wrap, or all by themselves, and can also be popped in the freezer to make your future weeks a little easier! 😉

Don’t skip the pesto though! Together, this combo is a bit of a late night dance party in your mouth, super filling & nutrient-packed, so that you won’t need much to go along side. I like to serve them up with a simple side salad or some steamed veg.
The best feedback I’ve gotten so far for this burger was my son’s clean plate!! YES!

Health Benefits of Red Lentils:

Low Glycemic Index (slow burning) Carbohydrates = Lots of solid, long-term energy
Rich, Plant-Based Source of Protein
High in Non-Heme Iron (the Plant kind)
High in Iron
Contain Vitamins A, K, C, B, and folate
High in Antioxidants & Phytonutrients, which aid the body to fight infection/disease
Contain Minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Manganese, Copper and Selenium
They are cute & yummy 😃

Red Lentil & Almond Burgers with Kale Pesto

Makes 12 – 16 medium sized burgers
For the Burgers:
2 cups red lentils, soaked 2- 4 hours, rinsed
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 large piece of kombu seaweed
1 Tbsp chia seeds + 3 Tbsp water
1 medium onion, sliced thin
2 medium red potatoes, grated
1 large carrot, grated
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp salt
3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
Lots of fresh pepper
1 1/4 cup almond meal/flour (or ground oats/oat flour)
2 Tbsp tamari
2 Tbsp maple syrup
½ cup sunflower seeds

In a medium pot, combine lentils with water, bay leaves and seaweed. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium until lentils are soft (about 20 minutes). Once lentils are cooked, place them in a fine mesh strainer in the sink to drain excess liquid.
In a small bowl, combine chia seeds with water and set aside to form a gel.
In a saucepan, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, salt, and garlic and sauté several minutes until they begin to soften. Add spices and cook another few minutes. Remove from heat.
In your food processor, combine cooked lentils, chia gel, almond meal, tamari, and maple syrup. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients: cooked veggies and sunflower seeds and mix well with a spatula. Transfer bowl to the fridge to allow mix to set before forming into patties.
Preheat oven to 375. Form burger mix into burgers and place on lined cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes (flipping half way, if you like).
Serve burgers on a large leaf of lettuce with a dollop of pesto, some sprouts and any other toppings you may like. Enjoy!
NOTE: these burgers freeze well once they are cooked. To reheat, defrost aprox. 30 minutes and pan-fry or bake until heated through.

Kale Pesto

1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1 large head of kale, stemmed - 4 cups, packed
1 large bunch of basil – 1 cup, packed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup Nutritional yeast
¼ cup hemp hearts

In a dry skillet, over medium heat, toast pine nuts and pumpkin seeds until toasted. Set aside to cool.
In a large food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

There is still time to join in on our January Plant Based Transition Facebook Group! We’re sharing loads of information, recipes, ideas, meal planning tips, and finding motivation & inspiration through the support of being passionate about our health together!!