Is it hard to fall in love with vegan beet sliders?
I don’t think so. In fact, I find vegan beet sliders to be one of the most endearing foods around. I got the idea to make these vegan burgers from our farm CSA box from Maya’s Farm and picked it up from Ollie Vaugn’s who had so thoughtfully organized for our community to keep getting fresh vegetables from a local farm. It was filled with Solid GOLD! The beets, in particular, were the basis for this recipe.
Once going plant-based, finding a burger substitute made from whole foods, has been a long term undertaking. And it’s not that I don’t love some of the meat mimic products out there. However, they can be expensive, and some of their health benefits are concerning.
My first forays into making plant-based burgers have been riddled with one major problem. THEY ALWAYS FELL APART while cooking. That has been frustrating, and from time to time, I would glance at a recipe to see what I was missing until I stumbled on two fundamental concepts through my experiments. Here they are:
Using falafel mix
Add dry ingredients until you have the right consistency
Sort of simple however it did take some time for me to get there. Here is the thing about plants; they have a variable amount of liquid present, and this can be affected by how they are cooked before combining for the burger. Therefore, sometimes you need more or less of the dry ingredients.
Here is my golden ratio for beetroot sliders:
root vegetables 2 parts: dry ingredients 1 part
So if you are making beet burgers for a herd of elephants, you can always use this ratio to get prepared. I recommend pureeing the cooked food first and then gradually adding the dry goods until you reach a satisfying blend. And by this, I mean you can pick up a portion of the “burger” mix with your hands, shape it into a disc, and it does not fall apart while you are doing this. If it does that, it will fall apart every further step down the line, including when you are trying to get your meat-based dad, to try it. And that is not a satisfying experience.
Blending the beet sliders
For the root vegetables, you can use any blend. This recipe is beets and white potatoes. For the dry goods, you can use bread crumbs (can be gluten-free), falafel mix, nuts, ground flax, hemp, and spices.
This recipe can help with a couple of concerns that come in when maintaining a sustainable plant-based kitchen. One aspect is food waste, and another is meal prep. Root vegetables are among one of the most heavily wasted foods in developed nations. So when you get them, steam them right away to use over several meals. Plant-based burgers are great to make a large batch and use over time. They also freeze quite well.
When it comes to serving, our household somehow lives to have our vegan burgers miniaturized. Not sure why this is, we just do. So to make as a slider, it is just a smaller patty. The fun part comes with all the variety of condiments that can complement the flavor combination you have used to create a vegan beetroot slider.
There is a beautiful canvas of tastes that can emerge. We used a barrel cactus jam that we got from a local vendor at the farmer’s market, and it was just so dang tasty everyone could not wait to get seconds.
Fall In Love With vegan BEET SLIDERS that dont fall apart while cooking and that amaze your meat eating friends.
Ingredients
Scale
5 medium beets
3 medium potatoes
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp hemp seed
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup falafel mix (or chickpea flour)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Steam the beets and potatoes in a slow cooker or over the stove until soft… approx 30 minutes.
Puree the beets, potato, and quinoa in a food-processor to give approx 2 cups of wet ingredients.
Mix all the dry goods together and begin adding to the beet mixture.
Pay attention to blending, as the mixture becomes thicker, you may need to stop adding dry goods or need to add little extra water. The consistency you are looking for is that it does not fall apart in your hands when you reach and make a patty. If you notice that you have run out of dry parts, just add extra falafel mix. You will not go wrong with this.
The reason for the variability in adding less or more dry ingredients has to do with the moisture content of your veggies. It will change every time so it is ideal to think about being flexible with how these are combined.
Once small patties are formed, you can bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or warm over a medium heat on nonstick skillet until lightly browned on each side.
Serve with your choice of condiments – we love fancy relishes and jellies and fresh pickles.
*Please note as an amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases which means I will receive a small fee if you purchase them. I have only included things I truly use. This post is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation. For my full Disclaimer, please go here.
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