Bean There, Done That: Delicious Vegan Bean Burgers

This recipe is brought to you by Legumes From Europe

This plant based vegan bean burger recipe makes 6 vegetable patties that are made using a single tin of kidney beans with couscous, fresh herbs and vegetables. If you want a delicious and nutritious vegetarian or vegan burger without any additives then look no further!

The burger patties themselves are plant based and vegan and you can also add your favourite vegan cheese and condiments to make this an entirely vegan burger or just enjoy a vegetable forward meal. Using beans like kidney beans in your diet is beneficial in many ways because of their high nutritional value. Theyr'e high in protein, fibre and minerals and kidney beans are said to be in the top 5 healthiest beans.

Kidney beans are also associated with lowering blood sugars and cholesterol and helping heart health. I love making a bit batch of these and then having them on hand to make a healthy lunch every day. Mr NQN loves these burgers a lot and really enjoyed getting a burger every day and I liked that they were healthier than a lot of burgers.

Mr NQN is a big vegetarian burger lover because he grew up vegetarian and these burgers even got little Teddy and Milo excited even though there's obviously no meat in them. I've mentioned how Teddy is close to Mr NQN while Milo is close to me. When we first got them I was worried I'd be outnumbered by the boys in the house and that I'd be pushed to the outer but the difference in each dog's personalities meant that we got one each. Teddy is an aloof boy that doesn't need much attention, sort of like Mr NQN who is shy and can be aloof while Milo is outgoing and loves cuddles and attention, like me. Milo is always up for a caper while you do have to convince Teddy to do things.

Every night after dinner I will go upstairs to the bedroom. It's my happy place as it's spacious, comfortable and warm and I decorated it just the way I want it. I sit upstairs with Milo, cuddling and intertwined while I watch tv. While I am going that Mr NQN is downstairs on the sewing machine.

Yep that's right, sewing! He actually used to be a sailmaker and he is actually sewing new tops on our curtains so he sits downstairs sewing with Teddy looking on next to him in a dog bed. The two dogs couldn't be happier and we have a little buddy of our own to keep us company.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like veggie burgers? Do you have a type of bean that you always keep in your pantry?

Bean Burgers

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott adapted from Legumes from Europe

Preparation time: 25 minutes plus 30 minutes resting time

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Makes 6 large burger patties

For Patties

• Oil for frying
• 400g/14ozs canned red kidney beans, plus the liquid from can
• 150g/5ozs dry couscous
• 1 teaspoon stock powder
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste/puree
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 40g/1.4ozs chia seeds
• 2-3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
• 2 teaspoons cumin, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
• large pinch oregano leaves, crushed
• ½ cup chopped coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
• salt to taste—start with ½ teaspoon
• black pepper to taste

For Burger

• 6 potato buns, split in half horizontally
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 6 slices red onion
• Truffle mayonnaise
• Chilli sauce or tomato sauce
• Pickles
• Soft lettuce leaves

Step 1 - In a saucepan add the beans and their juice and heat to simmering. Add the couscous and the stock powder and take it off the heat but leave with the lid on for 15 minutes or until the couscous has absorbed the liquid. Blend the mixture until it is just a little chunky, for the burger consistency, then add the onion, carrot, tomato puree, garlic and chia eggs, mixing well. Add the breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, cumin, sugar, smoked paprika, ginger, oregano, coriander, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Taste for seasoning. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

Step 2 -Heat a non stick frying pan on medium high heat and add oil. With damp hands, shape into six even large balls and place two or three at a time on the pan. You can flatten them slightly here - the patties will be soft so try not to handle them too much. Cook for 7 minutes on one side and then gently flip over and cook on the other side for 7 minutes.