Smoky Black Bean Burgers with Maple Dijon Sauce

A ‘meaty’ black bean quinoa burger made with kale. The outside can be cooked to a perfect crispiness that doesn’t dry out the inside; they’re moist yet stick together as good as any store bought veggie burger. Accompaniments of crunchy shaved cucumbers, spicy arugula and the sweet tangy flavour of Maple Dijon sauce make this a perfect summer patio meal. No Summer is complete without a burger like this!

Summer is in full swing. We spent last week in Alberta visiting a long time friend of mine.  It was such a lovely trip (and long drive).  If you follow me on Instagram, you likely saw a few photos from our trip and a couple shots of the breathtaking views of the Canadian Rockies. You know what else was breathtaking?  The heat…and not breathtaking in a good way. Every night we ended up at the local frozen yogurt shop where, thankfully, they carried a soy-based chocolate variety which I could happily indulged in covered in chewy mochi and dark chocolate chunks. We followed it up with an hour of shift work chasing after Connor who used his sugar rush induced speed to his advantage.  We were all tired, but it was so good.

I can’t believe this is my first time sharing a vegan burger! What is up with that? Anyway, it’s finally happened and I couldn’t be happier with the result. There is an abundance of new produce in our backyard that has begged to be put to use.  Happily, the onions were ready to be plucked and the kale, arugula, cukes and tomatoes were fresh for the taking. A true garden variety burger here.  I never like to waste food, especially when it’s food grown from our hard work; i’ve crammed as many fresh vegetables as possible in this black bean burger.

The sweet and tangy maple dijon sauce is made from a base of cashews (no soaking required) which pairs perfectly with the smokey flavours of the burger. Layer all the deliciousness between a toasty sesame bun and my summer patio dreams are fulfilled.  And I hope yours are, too. Give this one a try!

One final note, nominations for the 2017 Saveur Food Blog Awards are open until July 19th.  I know I am still pretty new to the blogisphere, but if you happen to love what I do, your nomination of The Simple Green would mean so much to this Island girl!

Happy Summer-ing, folks!

xo

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SMOKY BLACK BEAN QUINOA BURGERS w/ TANGY MAPLE DIJON SAUCE

A 'meaty' black bean vegan burger made with quinoa and kale. The outside can be cooked to a perfect crispiness that doesn't dry out the inside; they're moist yet stick together as good as any store bought veggie burger. Accompaniments of crunchy shaved cucumbers, spicy arugula and the sweet tangy flavour of Maple Dijon sauce make this a perfect summer patio meal. No Summer is complete without a burger like this!

Course Dinner, lunch

Keyword blackbeans, quinoa, vegan burger

Prep Time 1 hour 11 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 21 minutes

Servings 4 4" burgers

Ingredients

For the Maple Dijon Sauce:

• ½ cup raw cashews
• ⅓ cup filtered water
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice approx 1 lemon
• good pinch of sea salt

For the Black Bean Quinoa Burgers:

• 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• ½ medium onion chopped
• 1 cup chopped kale tightly packed
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ¾ tsp sea salt
• pinch of fresh ground pepper
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp dry mustard powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp spelt flour

To assemble

• fresh bakery buns
• fresh arugula
• thinly sliced cucumber
• fresh tomato
• any other topping of choice

Instructions

Prepare the Maple Dijon Sauce:

1. In a small blender (I use a Vitamix Personal Cup Blender), add all the ingredients and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate covered for approx 1 hour to allow the sauce to thicken. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Make the burgers:

1. To a medium saucepan, add the diced onion, garlic and a couple tablespoons of water. Cook over medium heat, stirringly frequently until the onions are translucent and the water is cooked off (about 5 minutes). Add the chopped kale and another tbsp of water and cook, stirring frequently, until the kale is softened and the water is cooked off.
2. To a food processor, add the black beans, cooked quinoa, cooked onion/ kale, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, mustard powder and smoked paprika. Pulse just a few times until the mixture starts to come together and there are still large pieces remaining. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and mix in the spelt flour until distributed evenly. Note: if the mixture seems too wet, add an additional 1-2 more tablespoons of spelt flour. The mixture should be moist, but not sticky.
3. Divide the mixture into 4 parts, roll each part into a ball between your hands and flatten into a 4" circle about 2cm high (approximately). Place the patties on a dish and refrigerate for an hour to allow the ingredients to bind.
4. After the hour has elapsed, preheat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Cook the burgers 5-6 minutes a side or until golden brown. Remove from heat and assemble your burger as desired. My preference: between two halves of toasted sesame bread, layer a few leaves of arugula, the burger, a few spoonfuls of maple dijon sauce, shaved cucumber, tomato slice and the a pinch of Celtic sea salt.

Recipe Notes

The burger patties are just as good the next day so long as they're stored covered in the fridge and reheated in the fry pan.