Red Bean Mushroom Burguers & Vegetable Couscous

I've always loved to cook. The first dish I tried to do from scratch was a mushroom risotto and now I do pretty much every risotto type in the world (I'm kidding but I do invent a lot). Lately, I've been improving my skills on vegetarian cuisine since I intend to cut the meat from my diet and it has been one funny journey! So, ladies and gentlemen, directly from my kitchen, today I bring you: Red Bean Mushroom Burgers & Vegetable Couscous!

Red Bean Mushroom Burgers

1 onion
400 g red beans (I used 2 cans)
6 fresh mushrooms (minced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
2-3 tablespoon whole wheat flour (didn't use)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoon coriander

pepper

1. Smash the beans with a fork or mash them in the food processor along with a tablespoon of olive oil until you get a creamy dough.

2. Wash and chop the mushroom, the garlic and the onion.

3. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion and garlic over a moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add the mushrooms and the salt and cook until they get softened and dried. Add the bean dough, the lemon juice and the coriander. Season with thyme, pepper and cumin.

4. In a small bowl, mix the flaxseeds with the olive oil. Add to the pan (helps with the dough's consistence). Add the flour if needed. Cook for a few more minutes, in a medium heat, stirring continuosly.

5. Let it cool down. Form the mixture into flat burger shapes (make small balls and flatten them). You can either swab them with olive oil or pass them through breadcrumbs.

6. Cook them as you wish. I grilled them

I served with vegetable couscous. Just cook it according to instructions and add whatever you feel like! I add nuts, basil, pumpkin and carrot but be creative!

I took the burgers' recipe from Gabriela Oliveira's recipes book:



 

She's a portuguese journalist who has been a vegetarian for two decades. This book has been a huge help to me due to the fact that has mostly low-budget recipes and lots of tips such as on how to do your own milk and cheese (nope, it doesn't involve having a cow or a goat!). Unfortunately, I don't think there is an english edition but I'm pretty sure there are just as good vegetarian authors! If you have any suggestion, leave a comment, I'd love to know more veggie chefs or veggie lovers!


Either you're vegetarian or just interested in a healthy lifestyle, here some pages I find very helpful:

Cool vegetarian blog from a portuguese nutrition student

A fb page that gathers lots of vegan recipes from lots of blogs

Healthy recipes on a low-budget (specially for students but I believe everyone is welcome)

Well, right now these are the only ones I found on my disorganized tabs but I'll be posting a lot more!