Black Bean Drive-Thru Burgers

Pairs well with:

Gewurztraminer

Hard to pronounce yet easy to drink, this wine combines lychee fruit and white peach flavors with a hint of spice.

When I first became a vegan one of the things I missed the most was a juicy burger. This black bean based burger is my take on a classic burger you’d get from a drive-thru fast food joint.

Ingredients:

Burger Ingredients:

2 15 oz cans of Black Beans, drained, rinsed

2 small Jalapenos, seeded, diced

2 cups Button Mushrooms, diced

1 cup Ground Hard Pretzels

1 tsp Ground Cayenne

1 tsp Ground Mustard

1 tsp Paprika

1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten

1/2 cup Water

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 cup Cornmeal – for coating

6 tbsp Yellow Mustard – for frying

2 tbsp Olive Oil – for frying (in pan on grill)

Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup Vegan Mayo

1/4 cup Ketchup

1/2 cup Dill Pickles, finely diced

1 tbsp Asian Hot Sauce

For Serving:

24 Dill Pickle Chips

12 Tomato Slices

6 Kale Leaves

6 Sourdough Buns

Instructions:

1) Place drained, rinsed black beans into a food processor and blend semi-smooth (should be some bits of beans left).
2) In a large bowl mix together the black beans with the jalapeno, mushrooms, pretzels, cayenne, ground mustard, paprika, vital wheat gluten, and water. Stir mixture together until the strands of gluten start to form, about 2-3 minutes.
3) Place a large skillet on the grill and warm the olive oil over medium heat.
4) In a small bowl mix together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
5) Divide the black bean mixture into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into balls and then flatten slightly. Put the cornmeal on a plate and coat each patty, flattening the patty a bit more.
6) Once the oil is hot, add each patty to the skillet and cook over medium heat for approximately 12 minutes.
7) Put a tablespoon of yellow mustard on top of each patty and spread to coat edge to edge. Once each patty has mustard on top, flip the patty over in the skillet and fry for an additional 10 minutes.
8) Lightly toast the sourdough buns on a cooler part of the grill for approximately 1 minute on each side.
9) Add the patties to the buns and top each patty with a two tablespoons of the sauce you made earlier, 4 pickles, 2 tomato slices, a kale leaf.
10) Serve warm.