The Ultimate Veggie Burger

Ingredients

• 2 cup beetroot (Peeled and cut into cubes)
• 1 cup red quinoa (Cooked; white quinoa is also suitable)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 cup egg
• 1 onion (Finely diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (Crushed)
• 2 tbsp wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp flax seeds
• 1 tsp coconut oil (Melted)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 0.25 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1 avocado (Ripe)
• 2 tbsp tahini (Sesame paste)
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 0.25 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 2 sweet potatoes (Peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices, then 1/4-inch strips)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp cornmeal
• 4 wholemeal buns (For assembling)
• 1 bunch parsley (Finely chopped)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (For homemade buns)
• 1 cup buckwheat flour (For homemade buns)
• 1 tsp active dry yeast (For homemade buns)
• 1 tsp unrefined sugar (For homemade buns)
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds (For homemade buns)
• 1 tbsp virgin olive oil (For homemade buns, plus more for greasing the bowl)
• 1 tsp sea salt (For homemade buns)
• 0.5 cup filtered water (For activating the yeast)
• 0.5 cup warm vegan milk (Milk of choice)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 175°C/347°F.

2. 2

   Place the beetroot cubes on a lined baking tin, rub them with the olive oil, and roast for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Remove the roasted beetroot from the oven and set it aside to cool.

4. 4

   Place the roasted beetroot in a food processor and pulse two or three times. Leave some texture; do not mash it completely.

5. 5

   Transfer the beetroot to a large bowl. Add the cooked quinoa, egg, diced onion, crushed garlic, breadcrumbs, flax seeds, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, chilli flakes, and salt, then stir to combine. If the mixture is too mushy, add more breadcrumbs until it reaches a workable consistency.

6. 6

   With slightly wet hands, shape the mixture into burgers and place them on a lined baking sheet.

7. 7

   Bake the burgers for 15 minutes on one side, then flip them and bake for 15 minutes more.

8. 8

   Place the sweet potato strips on a lined baking sheet, rub them with olive oil, sprinkle with cornmeal, and toss to coat.

9. 9

   Bake the sweet potato fries for 25–30 minutes, or until golden brown. They should be ready at about the same time as the burgers.

10. 10

    While the burgers are baking, prepare the dressing by placing the avocado, tahini, lime juice, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Process until creamy.

11. 11

    To make the homemade buns, mix the yeast and sugar with the filtered water in a small bowl. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.

12. 12

    In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, sea salt, and ground flax seeds.

13. 13

    Transfer the dry mixture to the food processor bowl. Add the olive oil, warm vegan milk, and activated yeast mixture, then process until an elastic dough forms.

14. 14

    Grease the large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into it. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.

15. 15

    Heat the oven to 200°C/392°F.

16. 16

    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape the dough into buns and place them on the sheet. Let them rise for another 15 minutes.

17. 17

    Bake the buns for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 175°C/347°F and bake for 30 minutes more.

18. 18

    Let the buns cool completely before slicing.

19. 19

    Assemble the burgers immediately after removing the burgers from the oven. Cut each bun in half, spread the bun bases with dressing, add a beet burger and sweet potato fries, then top generously with avocado dressing and chopped parsley. Finish with the bun tops.

20. 20

    Serve immediately.

Notes

The structured recipe labels this as a vegan version but includes one egg in the burger mixture. The author notes that vegetarians can replace the ground flax in the buns with one organic egg; an egg white may be brushed over the bun tops and mixed seeds may be sprinkled on before baking. The source also says that burgers may be lightly fried in coconut oil instead of baked. The homemade bun component makes 6–8 buns, while the complete recipe yield is 4 servings.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• vegetarian
• veggie burger
• baked
• plant-forward
• high-fiber
• homemade buns
• sweet potato fries