Magic White Bean Burgers!

I can't remember the last time I ate a real hamburger.

But you know what? That's okay. Up my sleeves are some tasty bean burger recipes that are way more flavorful and healthy for me than any cow patty. Case in point, my magic white bean burgers!

Why are they magic, you ask? Let's take a look:

The spicy sweet potato fries made it into the belly before the burger... 

They're magic because they absolutely, 100%, stick together when you cook them, no freezing or chilling required (cue the choir)!

That's right, I've found the secret to bean burgers is vital wheat gluten! Adding just a couple of tablespoons not only keeps them from falling apart, but adds a nice bump of protein as well! I wasn't feeling the black beans tonight, so I went with my other good ol' pantry staple, Great Northerns. This is the un-Italian version of my Tuscan Bean Burgers, but I haven't posted that recipe just yet (in due time!). Actually, I have quite a few bean burger recipes that I've neglected to put up (okay, only two and a revised black bean one...). I need to get on that. The world needs more bean burgers!

Magic White Bean Burgers:
1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. minced onion
1/3 c. plain bread crumbs (check to make sure they're vegan, some aren't)
2 Tb. vital wheat gluten
1 tsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper

1. Mash beans in a bowl with a fork.
2. Add the onion, bread crumbs, wheat gluten, nooch, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mash and mix thoroughly until everything is completely combined.
3. Shape the burgers into four patties and cook for 10-15 minutes over medium-high heat in a skillet sprayed with some nonstick (eff you, rules on sentence structure!!). Flip the patties once during cooking to brown them on both sides. I also cover my pan to help the centers cook.
4. Serve on toasted whole wheat buns with all the fixins'.

This time around I decided to top my burger with some of my favorite BBQ sauce. It's called Brewster's BBQ and it's made locally. It also doesn't contain any HFCS (almost every single commercial brand does). It's got that perfect balance of sweet and spicy and goes well with the tame flavor of this burger. Unfortunately, unless you're up here in northern Missouri, you won't find any. I googled "Brewster" and all I got was pics of Soleil Moon Frye...

Not in my BBQ sauce.

I think I just dated myself... Anywho. The nutritional stats of this burger (patty only, doesn't include the bun): 137 calories, 0.6 grams of fat, 6.1 grams of fiber, 9.7 grams of protein, and 10.8% of your daily Iron. It's also got a tad bit of Vitamin C and Calcium, but not a whole lot. I am a calorie counter, so I'll probably keep posting the nutritional stats. I mean, I calculate them for everything I make, so why not?

So yeah. School will be out in a month or so, so I hope to have plenty of more regular posts. I've made some awesome foods, I just need to remake them and take pictures this time around. I baked up some AWESOME blueberry corn muffins a la VWAV, as well as some other veganized muffins, kickass pancakes, and tasty tofu dishes. I've also got a chocolate duck birthday cake for a three-year-old to make, as well as some Easter-themed food. Stay tuned!