VEGAN BEETROOT BEAN BURGERS + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY! (V+, ChF, GF)
Lots to tell you about today, so if you just want my fantastic vegan Beetroot Bean Burger recipe, you can find it towards the end of this blog post.
I don't mean for this to sound (vegan) cheesy BUT what I like even more than getting a copy of a lovely vegan cookbook is sharing it with you! YUP, it gives me tons of joy to be able to host a cookbook giveaway with you guys especially if it's of a book I KNOW you'll love. Now, before I delve into today's cookbook review and giveaway I just want to say that I'm well aware most of my giveaways have only been open to UK residents. I am so, so, so sorry about this as I know you guys aren't all UK based. For what it's worth, it's usually not in my hands who can enter cookbook giveaways and instead it has more to do with the fact that the same cookbook can have different release dates in different parts of the world, then there's the postage costs and giveaway requirements set by the book publishers. However, rest assured that I'm hoping to do more e-book and cooking app giveaways later in the year, so bear with me please.
Ok, so formalities and excuses out of the way, let's delve right in, shall we? Now, I'm sooooo delighted to be able to send a lucky reader a copy of Sam Murphy's super fun cookbook Beautifully Real Food. Sam's publishers, Blink Publishing are being mega generous and have agreed to send one lucky reader a copy of Sam's brand new book! And trust me guys, this isn't a giveaway you want to miss!
So what's the book like?
Sam Murphy is an Australia based food blogger and instagram phenomenon with nearly 300,000 followers! Sam's instagram feed is packed full of vegan recipes in her signature photography style, marked by deep, rich colours and lots of raw vegan treats. This is because Sam makes raw vegan cakes to order; her 'un-baking' skills also shine through in her first cookbook Beautifully Real Food where she has an entire chapter dedicated to stunning raw, vegan cakes and desserts. Apart from that you'll find more than 100! vegan recipes in her book such as tandoori chickpea pizza, breakfast burritos and cookie dough overnight oats, to name but a few. Sam also speaks candidly about her past struggles with food, something that many young woman will be able to relate to. Overall, it's a great book to have especially if you're just moving from a meat heavy diet to a vegan diet.
Highlights from the book include...
Personally I was smitten with her burgers and sandwich chapter. I mean how could I resist the beetroot and bean burgers featured on the blog today? There was also a chilli chickpea sandwich which looked dreamy as did the cashew and sweet potato burgers. YUM!
What you need to be mindful of...
My guess is that most people will absolutely, totally and completely LOVE this book! That's because throughout Sam focuses on taking everyday favourites like pizza, pasta, burgers, fries, Chinese take-away hits and cakes and turning them into healthier, vegan variations. Now if you weren't necessarily into those foods before turning plant-based you may not find the recipes quite 'you'. Also, there are a few recipes that require fake vegan meats or call for frying your food. As noted above - if you're just transitioning to plant-based then faux meats can really help you make the move away from animal based products - but from a nutritional perspective neither faux meats nor fried foods should be consumed regularly ;).
What you need to do to win a copy...
THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED! All you need to do for a chance to win is comment below, telling me which food bloggers YOU think are worth following in 2017 and why. But be quick with your answers, entry to this giveaway closes at midnight (Greenwich Time) on Monday, February 27th, 2017. The winner will be picked and notified within a week of the closing date. THE WINNER IS NATALIA. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Please note that this competition is open to UK residents only. Therefore, I'd be super grateful if you can be clear when you comment whether you live in the UK or not. And even if you don't please do feel free to leave a comment. As always I'm super interested to read your answers no matter where you live because, well, I love comments. They make my day ;). Good luck everyone!
Recipe below...
P.S. All the spots on my 1-2-1 food styling sessions are sold out for the year and my 1-2-1 instagram mentoring sessions are selling out quickly too. But if you'd like to know when new dates become available before anyone else then please join the mailing list below.
VEGAN BEETROOT BEAN BURGERS + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY! (V+, ChF, GF)
I adapted today's recipe from Sam Murphy's new book Beatifully Real Food. The burgers were so much fun to make and even more fun to eat ;). Like any good burger, you can add the toppings you like. But, the ones listed below work SO well with these burgers as they add lots of moisture, which these burgers need (and which all burgers need, really. I mean a burger without a sauce on top is just plain WRONG). I so hope you enjoy the burgers as much as I did :). BTW please check the tips at the end of the recipe before you start :).
Preparation Time: 30-40 minutes
Chilling Time: 1-2 hours
Cooking Time: 15-25 minutes
Makes: 8-10 burgers
Ingredients for the patties:
140g/1.5 cups (glutenfree) oatmeal AKA ground oats
260g/2cups ground almonds AKA almond meal
2 large/450g beetroots, washed well and peeled
2x 400g can of black beans (buy here), rinsed and drained
2-4 tbs of olive oil
100g/1cup ground flaxseeds (I use these)
a small bunch of fresh parsley, washed and chopped super finely
4 tsp onion powder
4 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp ground cardamom
4 tsp vegetable bouillon (or salt if you don't have this to hand)
1 tsp black pepper
coconut oil or rice bran oil for frying
For the walnut and kale pesto:
1 garlic clove, peeled
60g/1/2 cup of walnuts
60g/1/2 cup of cashew nuts
2 large handfuls of kale leaves, washed and roughly chopped
1 large bunch/about 45g of basil
125ml/1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
a pinch of ground black pepper
1 tbs nutritional yeast (optional)
juice of 1/2 lemon
For the quick pickled red onions:
2 red onions
about 1 cup of white wine vinegar (see instructions for details)
sugar
Final touches:
some rocket, washed
burger buns of your choice, heated up (optional)
cucumber ribbons
avocado, sliced thinly
(vegan) mayonnaise or ketchup
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix the almond meal and oatmeal until nicely combined.
Chop the beetroot into small chunk and, together with the black beans, blend in a high speed blender until a thick puree is formed. Add this puree as well as all the other patty ingredients (EXCEPT the oil for frying) to the oat and almond mixture and stir until nicely combined. If the mixture looks a tiny bit too dry, feel free to add another tablespoon of olive oil. Shape the mixture into 8-10 patties and put in the fridge for about 45 minutes so the mixture sets and holds together.
As the patties are chilling in the fridge make your walnut and kale pesto by combining all the ingredients and placing them in a food processor or high speed blender. You can also use a handheld blender as I did, if you prefer. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. You can store the pesto in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Next make the quick pickled red onion rings by peeling the onions and then cutting them as thinly as you can. Place the cut onions in a small bowl and cover with white wine vinegar. Add a few tablespoons of sugar and stir. Taste and add more if need be. Set aside.
When you are ready to prepare your burgers, preheat the oven to 160-170C (325-350F). In a large frying pan, heat up the frying oil. Pan fry each patty for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy. Transfer the patties to a lined baking tray and place them in the oven for about 10-20 minutes.
Finally assemble the burgers and enjoy!
Tip 1: If you have regular almonds and regular oats, you can grind them down in a food processor to the required consistency. This will add about 5 minutes to your preparation time though.
Tip 2: Please note I doubled the original recipe to create 8-10 rather than 4-5 patties. This means I had extra for freezing. If you're on your own then perhaps half this recipe and freeze any surplus.
Tip 3: This recipe should also work well replacing the beetroot with carrots!
Tip 4: The amount of pesto sauce here should be just enough despite the fact I did not double this part of the original recipe. But of course it all depends on how much you use per burger and what your other toppings are.
Tip 5: You can make the patties the night before if you wish, as the author suggested; it can help them hold together better, though I found it wasn't necessary as they held together really, really well after just an hour of chilling in the fridge.
Tip 6: For a gluten-free option use gluten free oats or millet and use a bread bun that's glutenfree too ;).