Veggie patties are quite possibly the best thing to come along for the non meat-eater, plant-based consumer. They are hearty, filling and even if you can’t make your own, there are some great ones on the market that are 100% natural (check out my post Flaxseed Turkey Burgers & Sweet Potato Chips, where I made Dr. Praegers Kale Veggie Burgers and chips).
These homemade patties sort of remind me of Dr. Praegers. They aren’t super firm, like a regular burger, but that’s often the case with veggie burgers that are free of thickeners, additives and preservatives. Whole, all natural veggie patties might have a slightly different texture, but they definitely do not lack in flavor.
If you can get into the habit of keeping dried beans, peas and lentils on hand, you’ll find you can do so much with just ONE cooked bag and what you don’t use, you can easily freeze and use another time. You just can’t beat the freshness of dried beans and the peace of mind that comes from knowing your food is free of toxic BPA and other contaminants often found in aluminum canned food products.
For these patties I did a quick soak on an entire bag of garbanzo beans. I made my Choc-O-Chickpea Cookies using 1 & 3/4 cups of cooked beans. I had just over 4 cups of beans leftover and decided to use the remaining amount to whip up some veggie patties.
I’ve been making veggie patties (and taking pictures, this is my “I’m gonna throw a bunch of healthy crap in a blender and see how it turns out” from 2013) for years now, using different combos of greens and beans. From broccoli and spinach, to kidney beans and white northern beans, it’s been fun experimenting with the base. It really all comes down to how you spice-it.
For me … it’s usually a mixture of cumin, coriander, sea salt and pepper. I’ve made spicier patties before using a chili-spice combo. I’ve even used marinara sauce to make a chicken parmesan styled patty (minus the cheese and chicken). You can really flavor these in so many ways and create different cuisines.
For these particular patties you’ll need some cooked garbanzo beans, kale, onion, green onion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice and spices.
Start by blending 4 cups of cooked chickpeas in a food processor, then transfer beans to a medium sized bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor, EXCEPT your spices and lemon juice, pulse in the food processor, then add the “greens” to the garbanzo beans bowl and mix well.
Make your flax eggs. (These eggs are an easy way to get in extra omega 3’s and fiber. The taste is undetectable, but the nutrients are undeniable. You can add it to everything from oatmeal to smoothies. I just love it!) While the eggs set up, add your spices to your patty mixture and stir well.
Once flax eggs have thickened, stir them into your patties.
Warm up a large skillet on the stove, add grapeseed oil (which works well in high heat, olive oil tends to burn the patties more quickly), form your patties (see notes at bottom), then cook.
Let your patties cool and firm up a bit and make some honey mustard to drizzle on top of your patties.
You can serve your kale-patties on cabbage leaves or romaine leaves to make this a nutritious, low-carb meal.
This dish is incredibly easy to make and so flavorful. The lemon juice gives it a nice tang, while the cumin brings a warm, earthy and nutty flavor.
You can garnish with anything you would put on a burger: avocado, sprouts, chopped onion, sautéed mushrooms. I kept it simple with just calcium filled sprouts, bitter arugula and sweet tomatoes. The tangy honey mustard is a nice compliment to everything else going on in the patty. But, don’t take my word for it … just try it for yourself!
Happy eating!
Kale Veggie Patties Ingredients:
4 cups. garbanzo beans
3 cups kale (5 stalks)
1/2 c. parsley
1/2 c. green onion (4 stalks)
3/4 c. white onion
3 small garlic cloves
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp water)
1 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1 & 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1 & 1/2 Tbsp coriander
juice of 1 & 1/2 lemons
Cabbage leaves or large romaine leaves (for buns)
Handful of arugula (garnish)
Dressing Ingredients:
2 tsp raw honey, melted + 1 full Tbsp Dijon mustard
Directions:
1. Blend garbanzo beans in food processor, then transfer to a medium sized bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients to the food processor, except spices and flax egg, blend well.
3. Once blended, add your green mixture to the garbanzo beans bowl and stir well.
4. Make your flax eggs and let them stiffen up for 5 minutes.
5. Add in your spices to the patties and mix well.
6. Once flax eggs are ready, add in 1/2 of your flax egg mixture and stir, then add in the other half and stir.
7. Warm up a large skillet on the stove with 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil (coconut oil works too, but not olive oil, it tends to burn), cook patties roughly 7- minutes on one side, or until crisp, and then 7- minutes on the other side.
8. Once cooked, let patties cool on a tray.
9. Once cooled, serve patties with homemade Dijon honey mustard: melt 2 teaspoons of raw honey, then add in one heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard, mix well.
**makes 7-8 large patties
Notes***When making patties, take one large spoonful of the mixture, pat it firmly into a round ball, as if you were making a meatball, pack the ball tightly before flattening it out to a round patty. This helps it hold together better.
**You can easily cut this recipe in half to avoid leftovers, however patties will last in the fridge 2-3 days, in the freezer for one month.
**If you don’t want to use flax eggs, you can use Ener-G egg replacer (it’s a white powder that you mix with water), or if you’re an egg eater you, of course, can make it with two eggs.
**To keep this vegan, you’ll want to omit the honey for the honey mustard dressing. You can still make it with grade-b syrup, it will have a slightly different flavor, but it’s still good.
