RECIPE: Black Bean Burgers
Try this tasty burger to keep up your 5 a day.
Words and Photo: Dr Karen Hill
One cause I am passionate about is the Nutrition Australia Try for 5 campaign that is run each year, encouraging Australians to eat more vegetables (only 4% of Australians eat 5 serves of veggies per day). This year there was an emphasis on small changes for big gains. This recipe is dedicated to eating more veggies and these burgers are also super quick to make and perfect to refuel after those long days ridging in the high country.
What’s Great About Them?
Black beans (or turtle beans) fall under the legume category and are inexpensive to buy and often referred to as the ‘poor man’s food’. But what they lack in price point is made up for in nutrient value (who said eating healthy is expensive?). They are packed with protein, fibre, B-vitamins, iron, folate, magnesium, potassium, antioxidants and phytonutrients. The coloured beans also contain the highest amount of polyphenols, of which the black beans are the darkest and therefore have a very high amount of polyphenols. Black beans are also one of the highest sources of plant fibre next to Lentils. This high fibre content helps to lower cholesterol and control blood sugar.
Team this burger patty with your favourite bread or bread roll and salad. Finish with some sweet potato chips or white potato (whatever takes your fancy) and you have the complete rainbow on your plate. The best part is everything can be cooked on the BBQ so less dishes to wash, you will be adding 2-3 serves of veggies to your day and having a meat free meal. That is winning all round in my books.
Enjoy!
Ingredients – makes 4 patties
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 tablespoon of tomato paste (you could also use a tomato relish or chilli sauce)
1/3 cup of almond meal
Salt and pepper
You can also add a number of herbs or spices to this recipe.
Directions
Mash the beans in a bowl.
Add the tomato paste, almond meal and salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients
Divide the mixture into 4 patties. Cook for approximately 4 minutes each side
Build your burger
Nutrition Stats (patty only)
Energy: 543kj
Protein: 7g
Fat: 5g
Carbohydrate: 13g
