The "Bean Chillin' Burger"

The “Bean Chillin’ Burger”

I have a dear friend of mine, Joseph, who got me addicted to saying "Just Chilling" to the point where that became my catchphrase! My vlog "Just Chilling with Just Shanners" was therefore birthed from that catchphrase, and years later, I just cannot get "chilling" out of my vocabulary! I've decided to see how I can play around with that word in everything I do, so here we have the "Bean Chillin' burger", perfect for when you're just chilling with your vegetarian friends! Haha, ok I'll stop now.

Anyway, I had the privilege of hosting dinner for one of my dear friends from London. Initially, I intended to make braised beef and go all out with the meaty stuff, then I decided to ask if she was allergic to anything two days before she was supposed to come to my house. I felt myself go weak when she told me she was not allergic to anything but that she was vegetarian, which is strange because it's not like I'm addicted to meat or anything. So, I decided to get back to the drawing board, change my menu and make sure it accommodated her. My sister was in for a surprise as she assumed that when I said I was making burgers, they'd be beef burgers at least! Now she is addicted to meat (I said what I said). 

I made my friend and our other guests a lovely three-course meal, starting off with my favourite leek, potato and ginger soup, followed by the Bean Chillin burger, and then a "peanut butter banana ice cream" (dairy free and vegan-friendly, woot-woot!) for dessert! I'll share the recipe for the ice cream in a separate post, in the meantime let's get down to business!

Recipe Serves: 4 adults

Preparation time: 15min

Cooking time: 20min

Assembling time: 5min

Total time: 40min 

Ingredients

½ of 400g tin Black beans

½ of 400g tin Red kidney beans

½ of 400g tin Black eyed beans

2 tablespoons peas

2 tablespoons sweet corn

½ Onion

2 peeled garlic cloves

¼ green pepper

¼ red pepper

¼ yellow pepper
50g breadcrumbs

1 large egg

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon mixed herbs

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon steak seasoning

1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning

2 tablespoons grated mature cheddar

Brioche burger buns

Burger sauce

Pickle

Rocket, spinach and watercress salad

1 large beef tomato

4 mature cheddar slices

Method

1. Place the black beans, black-eyed beans, red kidney beans, peas, sweet corn, onion, garlic cloves, green, red and yellow peppers in a food processor and blend
2. Lightly oil an oven tray and place it in a preheated oven at 200 C / Gas mark 5.
3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the egg, sea salt, mixed herbs, chilli powder, steak seasoning and all-purpose seasoning.
4. Stir the blended bean mixture into the large bowl with the egg. Add the breadcrumbs and mature cheddar cheese gradually, and mix until the mixture holds together and becomes sticky.
5. Divide the mixture into 4 patties. If you have time to spare, let them rest in the fridge for at least an hour to allow them to hold better. Otherwise, continue with the cooking process.
6. Spread a little bit of oil over each pattie before placing the oiled side down onto the baking tray. Spread a little bit of oil on the top side of each pattie, and bake for about 10 minutes on each side. Add a slice of mature cheddar cheese on top of each pattie and let it melt slightly while still in the oven. Once melted enough, take them out of the oven.
7. Spread a teaspoon of burger sauce on the bottom side of the brioche bun, add a teaspoon of pickle on top and place one pattie on it. Spread a teaspoon of burger sauce on the top side of the brioche bun and place a slice of tomato over it. Now add the spinach, cress and rocket salad on top of the patties and place the top bun. Serve while still hot.

TIP:

You may find that your mixture is falling apart when you're making a pattie. Try adding a little more breadcrumbs and also grate some cheddar which helps the pattie to stick together.