Great Northern White Bean Burger

I'm really trying to eat less meat these days for overall heart health, but with that comes some challenges at first.  However, the upside is that it saves me a lot of money not buying as much organic meats. 

This is a recipe adapted from Tosca Reno's book: The Eat Clean Diet {Stripped}.  It's packed full of nutrients. If you haven't tried a bean burger I truly believe they are an acquired taste because the texture is so much different from beef or turkey.

Great Northern White Bean Burger

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
• 3 Tbps nutritional yeast*
• 1 Tbps Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbps Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 Tbps sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 15oz. can great Northern white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 Tbps flaxseed meal
• 1 cup oat flour*

Directions:

1)  Add onion, garlic, and basil to food processor and pulse to combine. Add nutritional yeast, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, egg white, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt and pepper, and pulse until finely chopped. Add white beans and pulse until combined, but still chunky.

2)  Transfer mixture to bowl and add brown rice, oat flour, and flaxseed meal. If mixture is too moist, add more oat flour until it's a workable consistency to form patties. Shape mixture into 6 patties, about 4 inches in diameter. 

3)  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and spray with cooking oil. Cook patties three to five minutes on each side until browned. For a crispier burger, cook an additional five minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven or toast in a toaster oven.

4)  Serve hot on whole grain buns with your favorite burger fixings, such as lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mustard.

NOTE: I don't always have nutritional yeast on hand but used it because I did. I will probably leave it out of the recipe next time because I don't LOVE it. 

The original recipe calls for whole grain bread crumbs. I used oat flour instead of the bread crumbs. If you wish to use bread crumbs, I suggest making them yourself or buying them at a Whole Foods. The bread crumbs on the standard grocery shelf contain High Fructose Corn Syrup and Hydrogenated Oils. I might try the burgers next time with my own bread crumbs.

I also added Trader Joe's Smoked African Smoke Seasoning to the mix for a smokey flavor. I will be trying these on the outdoor grill soon which I bet will be awesome.