Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked dried black or adzuki beans
• 2 cups short grain brown rice
• 2 tablespoons chopped cooked beet
• 2 tablespoons high-quality barbeque sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Soak the dried beans overnight or bring to a boil and let sit for a few hours prior to cooking.

2. In a large pot, cook the beans and garlic in filtered water over medium heat until soft but not mushy. This could take up to 2 hours.

3. In a large saucepan, add 2 cups rice with 4 1/4 cups water and simmer over medium heat covered, until the water is gone and the rice is moist. This will take approximately 30 minutes. Adding the extra 1/4 cup water will produce a stickier rice. This helps them bind together more efficiently.

4. Simultaneously, in a small saucepan, boil a small beet in water on a high flame until done. This will take 30- 40 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the beet in cold water.

5. Using your fingers, rub the skin off the beet. Then finely chop and set aside two tablespoons.

6. In a very large mixing bowl, add cooked rice and cooked soft beans and allow them to cool for a few minutes.

7. After the mixture has cooled down, using your hands, start to mix the rice with the beans. Make an effort to squeeze the mixture through your fingers. This mashes the beans and starts to make the mixture bind. Get some help with this step. Little kids love this part!

8. Now add the diced beet, sea salt, barbeque sauce, flax seeds, arrowroot and tamari and mix again using your hands. If you did this correctly, you will have sticky fingers and the mixture will be hard to get off your hands. More fun for little chefs.

9. Rinse and dry your hands. Then apply a very small amount of coconut oil to your hands and start to form your burgers. When you have a patty size that is approximately the size of your bun, place it on a large plate. Continue until you’ve made all your patties.

Reprinted from The Plantpower Way by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2015, Rich Roll & Julie Piatt.