Sometimes dinner needs to be quick. And easy. Realllll easy, ya dig? Last night was one of those nights. The end of the work week can sometimes be quite tiring, especially knowing there's a busy weekend coming up. So relax, and make these simple burgers with just four ingredients. Zucchini, black beans, flax seed, and some seasonings. Blammy! That's it.
If for some weird reason you still aren't convinced, check out these burgers' sweet stats. A slim 130 calories with 5 grams of healthy black bean and flaxseed fat, 18 complex carbs, 8 grams of fiber (say what?!?), and 7 grams of preferred, plant-based protein. You're impressed. Me too. I normally don't do calorie configuring, but I just couldn't resist. I knew these would be way too awesome on the nutrient scale. Black beans and flax seed? Get outta here, there're some of the healthiest foods around!
That being said, it's very important to have an insane, I'm-gonna-turn-you-vegan, homemade veggie burger recipe in your back pocket. Do not underestimate the power of a mind-blowing homemade vegan burger. I have one of those recipes and it would completely knock your socks off, however, it is super labour intensive. I'm working on keep all the flavor and texture, but making it a bit more user friendly at this time. Then I'll share.
But this burger? This guy is for when you want something quick, very healthy, and very tasty. Save the laborious, omni-converting burger for when you have the time...and patience.
Simple Black Bean Zucchini Burgers
Makes 5 patties
Notes: These are soft burgers, they don't really have a "meaty" texture. If you don't have a food processor, the zucchini can be shred by hand.
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium zucchini (about 2 cups), shredded
- 1/2 cup ground flax seed
- 1 tsp. steak seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
In a large bowl, add the black beans and mash them with the back of a rounded measuring cup.
Shred the zucchini (I did this in a flash with my food processor) and add it to the beans.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix with your hands, until very well combined. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Coat a large frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over low. Meanwhile, form the mixture into 5 patties.
Fry each patty a few minutes on one side, until browned. Flip and brown the other side. They can be fried in batches if they don't all fit at the same time.
Serve hot and however you like. We did ketchup and whole grain mustard, but I bet a vegan BBQ sauce would be good as well!
[yumprint-recipe id='105']You best be listening to this song. Dad, if you read this post (I'm still not entirely sure if he reads the blog or not), you'll probably enjoy this song.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/67807103" params="color=59ab7a&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
German Word of The Day: Beans --> Bohnen (pronounced: bone-in)
Good Deed of The Day: This one absolutely broke my heart. Fun fact: Deer is my favorite animal! Sign this petition by former Cornell students to stop the trapping of deer who are then shot in the brain with metal rods. I get that deer are overpopulated and yadda yadda. I get it. But hummm, I wonder who caused that?? Maybe people need population control. Hey, I'm not sayin'...but...you know. Really though? Is this the best way to handle it?
