Turn Rice and Beans Into a Burger

Rice and beans have been a staple in many cultures for years. It’s a healthy combination of whole grains and fiber filled beans which promote health, natural body weight, easy digestion.

You already know how to eat rice an beans in a bowl, that’s easy.  But so is this little twist on turning rice and beans into a burger. The fun thing about this recipe is that you really can’t screw it up.  You can switch out these red kidney beans and use garbanzo, white, black, pinto. You can switch out the kale leaves and use spinach, broccoli, bok choy. You can use various spices from an Italian flavored parsley and garlic, to Indian flavored cumin, turmeric and curry.  (see below for optional recipe ideas)

I love it not only because it tastes good, but because it’s so so easy to make, with ingredient that are easy to locate and purchase. And they are freezable if you decide to make a few extra and keep them for later.

Here they are. The simple ingredients all laid out for you to see.

This recipe makes 2 burgers and you can eat them both as one portion. Double or triple the recipe if you want to make ahead. Because these babies are so easy, I prefer to just make them fresh, but it’s your call.

• 1/2 brown rice (already cooked or leftover)
• 1/2 cup beans (any kind of beans, but check the can to be sure that only beans are in there)
• 1/2 cup kale (ripped up)(you can sub in spinach)
• 1/2 cup carrots (shredded)
• 1/4 cup onion (chopped)
• Spices of choice (here I choose 1/2 tsp cumin, curry, turmeric)

Place it all into your blender. Here I’ve used the nutribullet. 

You can use your vitamix or any blender or food processor.

The mixture is a little sticky and will form nicely into 2 nice size patties.

Brown on one side and genlty flip ’em.

Serve ’em up with 1/2 sliced avocado and a simple tossed salad. I’ve added a sprinkle of Daiya vegan cheese. 

OTHER BURGER COMBOS:

• farro, garbanzo beans, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, parsley
• quinoa, white beans, kale, garlic, parsley, escarole

A few tips on the rice. I use my rice cooker to make the rice ahead.  Having the right tools in the kitchen makes the job so easy.

Watch this video to see the rice cooker. 

 

Remember when you start eating better, you start thinking better, which starts the ball rolling to feeling better, loving better, living better. Everything better.

What else would you possible choose?

Have fun and let me know what version of the burger worked best for you.