BBQ Tempeh Black Bean Burgers

Veggie burgers were my very first attempt at meatless recreations of my favorite foods from my pre-vegan days and it's been a staple at our plant-based household ever since. And the Tempeh Black Bean BBQ burger has really brought it to a new high!

To me, a good veggie burger must first have lots of - well, veggies! And it also needs to have lots of protein and with the combination of tempeh and beans, this burger is truly a protein bomb. And finally, I made a sweet and spicy BBQ glaze to top off these patties which made them incredibly moist and flavorful!

PS, to top of the burgers I made myself a giant jar of baked fries! There are 3 colors - Sweet potato fries, carrot fries, and purple sweet potato fries, I mean you could never have too many fries right?

INGREDIENTS:

For the Burgers -
1 15-ounce can black beans or kidney beans

1 cup (100g) chopped tempeh
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely diced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
3 tablespoon rice flour

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 tsp liquid smoke

For the Glaze -

1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 tablespoon coconut amino
1/2 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon tomato paste

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

TO MAKE:

- Preheat the oven to 395°F;

- Heat a drizzle of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and garlic, sauté for about 3-5 minutes until onions are caramelized, add the balsamic vinegar and stir;

- Add the diced carrot and the tamari or soy sauce, sauté for another 8 minutes till carrots are soft, turn off the heat, and set aside to cool down;

- Drain and rinse the beans, add everything to a food processor, including the sautéd mixture, pulse for a few times until the mixture is coarsely blended and combined;
- Drizzle a little olive oil into your hands or a burger mold, form the mixture into burger patties, depending on how big you want your bigger, I got 3 big patties out of the mixture;

- Transfer the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes;

- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk all the glaze ingredients together;

- Once the 25 minutes is up, take out the burgers, generously brush both sides with sauce, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes;

- Let the burgers cool down for at least 5 minutes, assemble, and enjoy!