Spicy Red Bean Veggie Burgers

As far as I'm concerned, there is no contest whatsoever about which store-bought veggie burger brand is the best.  

Sunshine Burgers win hands down. Have you tried them? They're not like those veggie burgers that try to taste and look like meat. Most of those kinds have an ingredient list so long, you can barely call them veggie burgers. Sunshine Burgers don't taste like meat...they're not meat, after all. My favorite flavor is Garden Herb. They only have five ingredients and they taste amazing--like nothing else you've ever eaten, especially not meat. Please do yourself a favor and try them. They make a quick, easy, healthy meal!

For those of you who have a little more time on your hands and not as much cash in your wallet, you can try my new second favorite veggie burger. 

 

These burgers are based on this recipe, but with a few tweaks. I added some sunflower seeds to pay homage to Sunshine.

This picture was taken a couple days after I made the veggie burgers (I rolled it up in a collard wrap for lunch). They stayed together pretty well, but were starting to get crumbly. At the time, I didn't have a food processor, so I just mashed the ingredients together as I stirred. With a food processor, I think they would have kept their patty form quite nicely.

Speaking of food processors. I didn't have one when I made these burgers, but now I'm the proud owner of this incredible machine! Can you tell I'm excited?!!!

Back to the burgers. They tasted great--good texture and lots of flavor. I froze half because the recipe made such a big batch.

These are great on salads, in wraps, or on a (gluten, sugar, dairy free) bun. Yum.

Spicy Red Bean Veggie Burgers 
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup chopped carrots and bell peppers (or your veggies of choice)
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups cooked adzuki beans (any red beans would work)
2-4 Tbsp salsa or diced tomatoes (I used 3 Tbsp of these. Just make sure your salsa or tomatoes don't have added sugar!)
1/2-2 tsp chipotle powder (adds a nice smokey flavor and some spiciness. Use less if you don't want too much heat!) 
2 tsp mustard (I used this.)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350F. Saute onion, garlic and veggies until soft. Mix together all the ingredients in your food processor until combined. If you don't have a food processor, stir together all the ingredients with a spoon and try to mash the mixture as you stir (so it all sticks together). Put the mixture in fridge until it's completely cool. Remove and form into burger patties. Place patties on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 35 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the burgers are lightly crispy on the outside.