Black Bean Sliders with Homemade Bitty Buns

All About Vegan Food

These protein-rich burgers are great on the barbecue, in a bun, or with a big fresh salad.

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Ingredients

For sliders:
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil
3 tablespoons mild or medium salsa
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/3 cup brown rice flour
For bitty buns:
1 1/2 cups water, warmed to between 110-120 degrees F
2 teaspoons agave nectar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten

These protein-rich burgers are great on the barbecue, in a bun, or with a big fresh salad.

Preparation

Homemade veggie burgers can be a challenge to some! Vegetable patties can be cooked by baking, frying, or grilling. For this recipe, I formed the patties the night before and then froze them in order to make them grillable. This actually worked really well. Note, however, that I grilled them in a grill pan, not on an outdoor grill. Your results may vary.

Method

To make the patties, combine one half of the beans and one half of the rice in a food processor. Add the oil and salsa and process until mostly smooth. Combine with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Form into 8 patties with your hands. I roughly measured them as 1/3 cup of patty mix each. Wrap in waxed paper or parchment paper and let freeze in a container or on a flat surface in a plastic bag.
To make the bitty burger buns, combine the warm water, agave, and yeast and whisk until combined, just a few seconds. Let stand 10 minutes until proofed. Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix until dough forms. Knead until smooth. Add more flour if too sticky. I added an additional two tablespoons. I also used my standing mixer for this, using the dough hook of course. I let the machine knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. If kneading by hand you may be looking at 5-7 minutes instead. Roll to a 1/2 inch thickness, then cut with a biscuit cutter into 12-16 rounds.
Sprinkle cornmeal on a couple of cookie sheets. Place the buns on the cookie sheets. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for one hour. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until browned on top.
When ready for the burgers, lightly oil a non-stick grill pan. Preheat over medium high heat. Cook each patty for 5-7 minutes, pushing down with a spatula occasionally for nice grill marks. Gently flip and cook for the same amount of time on the other side.
You don’t have to make all of the patties at once. Just keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready for another!
Garnish with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, pickles, you name it.
Makes 8 patties, 12-16 buns.