Chipotle Beet Burgers

One of the things I love about having an organic garden is trying new things! We added so many new veggies to the garden this spring, one of them was beets. I have never eaten fresh beets, but knew I would find something to do with them. If not I could always make vegan red velvet cake or give them to clients.



I came across this recipe for Beet Burgers from Post Punk Kitchen and used it as a starting point. Anyone that knows me knows that I use recipes as an idea and then make changes to make it my own.  I knew I would want to make this gluten free, so I used ground up oats instead of breadcrumbs. I changed the seasonings completely and I baked them instead of frying them in oil as suggested and finished off on the grill. So basically I used the brown rice, lentils and beets and then changed everything else. This recipe is very versatile, you can change the spices to your tastes.

This is a little messy and takes some time, but it is so worth it. Don't skip the grilling step if possible, that charred flavor really makes a difference in taste. The recipe makes about 10 patties, you can either freeze the rest or cut the recipe in half. You can reheat in a skillet, just be careful not to overheat and dry them out.

 

Fresh beets peeled and grated on the Saladmaster Machine

 

 

 

They freakishly look like ground beef

 

 

They are great served on Romaine Lettuce as wraps

 

 

See that lovely charring, makes it taste like a "real" burger

 

 

Now time for the recipe, bear with me, I don't measure seasonings so you will have to rely on your taste buds! One Chipotle doesn't make it spicy, it gives it a smoky flavor and helps to mellow out the earthy flavor from the beets. If you want them spicy, you can add more!

 

Chipotle Beet Burger Recipe

 

2 1/2 cups cooked *brown rice (just a little over 1 cup uncooked)

2 cups cooked brown or green lentils (1 cup dry, you will have some leftover)

2 cups peeled and shredded beets ( I had four small to medium sized from my garden)

1 chipotle pepper

1 roasted poblano pepper ( you could sub for a bell pepper)

1cup ground oats

1/2 onion diced

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons tahini

Chili powder, cumin and salt to taste

 

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Add chipotle, poblano and garlic to the food processer and pulse on high until chopped.

3. Depending on the size of your food processor, you might need to do it in two batches.

4. Add shredded beets (very messy job shredding beets, wear gloves or you will have red hands), cooked and cooled brown rice and lentils and pulse on high until well blended.

5. Pour mixture in large bowl, add the seasonings, diced onions, tahini and ground oats and stir until combined. I used my gloved hands to mix it together. Taste to see if it is seasoned to your liking. It will have a strong earthy beet flavor at this time, but mellows out after cooking!

6. I used a cookie scoop, but it is basically 1/4 cup. Shape into patties and put on a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with non stick spray.

7. Cook for 15 minutes, then flip the patties and cook for another 15 minutes.

8. Place on a hot grill for just a few minutes to get a little charring.

 

*When cooking the lentils and brown rice, I add 1/2 of a vegan beef flavored bullion cube for added flavor.

 

This recipe makes about 10 of the most amazing Beet Burgers! I hope that you enjoy them. One of my clients had them and wanted to know how I made them taste like REAL burgers!