A awesome vegetarian recipe with the benefits of tea! Toasted pecans are the key to these black bean beauties, along with the matcha in the piquant aioli.
Ingredients (makes 6-8 burgers)
Black bean burgers
• 1 small carrot, shredded (½ cup)
• ½ medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped (½ cup)
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cans black beans
• ½ cup toasted pecans
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
Green tea basil aioli
• 4 cloves garlic
• 10 large fresh basil leaves
• 3 tsp matcha green tea powder
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ cup olive oil
What you’ll do…
To make the burgers:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 45cm sheet pan with baking paper. Place a medium frypan over medium-low heat for one minute. Swirl in the oil to coat. Sauté the carrot, bell pepper, onion, garlic and salt for about eight minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Turn off the heat. Drain both cans of beans. Pour one can into a large bowl. Pour the other into a food processor with the pecans and cooked vegies and pulse to a coarse paste. Add to the whole beans. Mix in the eggs, breadcrumbs and red pepper flakes. Mound half-cup patties onto the baking sheet, pressing lightly to flatten. Leave space between patties. Bake for 45 minutes until dry and a bit crisp.
To make the aioli:
Purée the garlic, basil, matcha, yolks, lemon juice, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste with a blender or food processor. Add the oil in a slow stream until smooth. Serve on whole-wheat buns smeared with aioli and dressed with lettuce and tomato.
NEXT: Spiced chickpea burgers with beetroot salsa
Recipe and images from Steeped: Recipes Infused with Tea by Annelies Zijderveld
