Who else loves BBQ in the summer days? Burgers are one of my favorite foods to make in the summertime, but while summer does not come around I decided to get creative and make myself a veggie burger. I am not a vegetarian but since we are in lent season, I do not consume meat on Fridays. Not to mention that a black bean burger can provide a more nutritious meal than a regular beef burger and you can get creative with the spices in your pantry.
Here I provide you with a veggie burger recipe accompanied with sweet potatoes fries.
I decided to modify the original hamburger recipe to reduce the saturated fat and increase the dietary fiber. The original recipe contains high amounts of saturated fat and has little dietary fiber. Therefore, I choose to make a black bean burger with 100% whole wheat hamburger buns and sweet potato fries with the skin. Exchanging ground beef for black beans has given this recipe a greater amount of dietary fiber and has greatly decreased the saturated fat. I have also increased the dietary fiber by exchanging regular white hamburger buns for 100% whole wheat bread. In addition, the sweet potato fries with skin provides a greater amount of fiber to the recipe. Subsequently, making fries in the air fryer is super easy and is a healthier alternative than deep frying them. Air fryers make it that you consume less calories and use less oil. Not to mention that it cooks in less than 15 minutes and still provides a crispy outside layer with a tender inside.
These changes can bring big benefits to one’s life. Increased dietary fiber benefits those who may be constipated because it may improve digestion and promote regular bowel movements. Additionally, it helps lower cholesterol levels and regular blood sugar levels. Nonetheless, it can help with weight loss. Subsequently, saturated fat is not good for your health if consumed in great quantities and can greatly increase heart disease. Along with increasing LDL and decreasing HDL levels. It may also lead to obesity and type II diabetes. Not all fat is bad for you but saturated fat should be consumed in limited quantities.
I have provided a full detailed recipe below and a shortened version with the ingredients at the end of this blog post.
Black Beans Veggie Burger
Step 1: Start by gathering all your ingredients and utensils. Open up your can of beans and pour it into a strainer. Rinse the beans thoroughly and let it drain well.
Step 2: Wash your lettuce and tomatoes and let the lettuce drain. Dry the tomatoes with a paper towel and then start cutting medium size slices on a cutting board and set it aside. Then, cut the red onion into thin slices and set it aside.
Step 3: Next chop about 1⁄4 cup of yellow onion and place it in a small bowl. Measure out all the spices and breadcrumbs and place it in the same small bowl as the yellow onion. Once the beans are done draining, place it in the large bowl and mash it with a fork. After all the beans are mashed, add the egg and the bowl with the spices and yellow onion. Mix all the ingredients well to combine and then make 6 patties.
Step 4: Pour oil into a large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Once heated, place the patties on the large skillet. Try to put the patties apart from one another so that they are not touching. Let it cook for a few minutes and only flip once. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. This will be about 10 minutes total.
Step 5: On a separate frying pan, lightly toast the buns over medium heat. Once done, transfer the patties to buns and top it with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and condiments as desired.
Sweet Potato Fries
Step 1: Before you start cooking, separate all ingredients necessary for the recipe including utensils. Next, preheat the air fryer to 350℉ as preheating it will result in a more accurate cooking time.
Step 2: While the air fryer is preheating, prepare your fries. First wash your sweet potatoes properly and then dry them with a paper towel. On a cutting board, cute the edges of the potatoes and then cut it in half lengthwise. Next, lay the flat part of the potatoes on the cutting board and start cutting slices lengthwise about 1⁄4” in width. Cut the slices into strips lengthwise of 1⁄4” width, the thinner you cut the slices the crispier it will be. I would stick between 1⁄4” and 1⁄2” in width.
Step 3: After cutting the potatoes place them into the large bowl with the desired spices and a bit of olive oil. I added salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper to my fries but you are more than welcome to use your own choices of spices. Toss the fries with your hands so that all fries are well seasoned.
Step 4: Then place the fries inside the air fryer pan but make sure the fries are not overcrowded. You may have to do this in batches of 2 or 3. Once the top starts to get a bit darker, shake the pan so that the other side of the potatoes can cook evenly, this will be at the halfway point. The time in which it will take for the fries to cook will depend on the air fryer, each air fryer has a different setting. I recommend that you check the fries around 6 minutes to shake the pan and then check at 10 minutes. If the fries are still not done, check back every 1 minute. Once it looks crispy all around, take the fries out and serve immediately with your favorite sauce or condiment.
Below I have provided a final picture of the original recipe (left) and one of the modified picture (bottom).
As seen in the pictures, the veggie burger has a bit more of colors and a well toasted bread along with the fries that were super crispy and delicious. Although making a black bean burger is different from ground beef, I have learned to not have the heat on highest while making the burger. In my original recipe I did not turn down the heat and ended up burning my first burger. I also made the mistake of flipping the ground beef burgers multiple times instead of cooking one side or the other. This time around I only flipped it once and it turned out better. It did not come apart as much. The veggie burger was also a bit grainy and would grumble if touched too much. Next time I would probably add another egg or use a large egg so that the mix is less grainy. I would probably add a bit more salt or add extra herbs to make the veggie burger more pungent and stand out more. The fries came out super crispy and tender on the inside. It was lightly browned on the outside and the skins gave it an extra texture. Overall, the meal was satisfying and savory. I would not change my beef burger for a veggie burger, but it is a nice alternative for those who need to accommodate their dietary needs.
BLACK BEAN BURGER RECIPE
Full recipe: 6 servings
Ingredients
● 1 (15.5oz) can black beans, washed and drained
● 1 medium egg
● 1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
● 1 cup whole wheat dry bread crumbs
● 1 teaspoon dried oregano
● 1 teaspoon dried basil or paste
● 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
● 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
● 1/2 teaspoon fine pink sea salt
● 6 green leaf lettuce leaves
● 2 tomatoes, sliced
● 1/2 red onion, thin slice
● 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive or avocado oil
● 6 whole wheat hamburger buns
Cooking Instructions
Mash the beans inside the large bowl with a fork.
Add the egg, yellow onion, bread crumbs, and spices. Spices may be altered to taste.
Mix all the ingredients well to combine then make 6 patties.
Pour oil into a large skillet and cook patties over medium heat until golden and cooked through.
Lightly toast the buns over medium heat.
Transfer the patties to buns, and top it with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and
condiments as desired.
SWEET POTATO FRIES RECIPE
Full recipe: 6 servings
Ingredients
● 4 large sweet potatoes
● 4 tsp of olive oil
● 1 tsp of fine pink sea salt
● 1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
● 1⁄2 tsp paprika
● 1⁄4 tsp black pepper
Cooking Instructions
Preheat the air fryer at 350℉
After washing sweet potatoes, cut the edges of the sweet potatoes and then cut it in half lengthwise leaving the skin on.
Cut potatoes into slices lengthwise about 1⁄4” in width and then into strips lengthwise of 1⁄4” width.
Measure out all spices and olive oil, and place it in a large bowl. Spices may be altered to taste.
Place cut sweet potatoes into the large bowl and toss well to combine with spices.
Place the sweet potatoes inside the air fryer pan in a single layer.
Shake the pan about half way (about 6 minutes) to cook potatoes evenly.
Once done, serve immediately with your favorite sauce or condiment.
Nutrition Facts for one serving of both veggie burger and fries:
Full Recipe serves 6 servings.
