Compared to beef burgers, vegetarian bean burgers tend to be a bit mushy in the middle. This is primarily because a black bean patty is made up mostly of starch and proteins that have already been cooked once. They no longer cling together in the same way and don’t really change shape when you cook them for a second time. For this reason, I needed to add ingredients that would make it more crumbly, if you will, in the middle. I learned a handy little trick that did just this. I baked the beans for 1/2 an hour in the oven to dry them out a bit and added 1/4 cup of nuts. Not only did this create an exceptional burger but adding the nuts also increased the protein count. Win-win!
These burgers are a nice alternative to beef burgers and a better choice than store bought veggie burgers that tend to be loaded with sodium. Each serving has 17.8g of net carbs, 12.1g of protein and 5 Weight Watchers points.
They pair fabulously with our Bitter Melon relish. The bitter taste of the relish is very subtle and goes very well with the beans. Add a little bit of ketchup, freshly grated parmesan, red dandelion and onion sprouts.
Try them on their own with a mixed green salad or in a high protein pita.
