The Ultimate Homemade Meatless Black Bean Burger

In our latest free weekly newsletter, we gave the spotlight to the underappreciated veggie burger. To read the newsletter click HERE. To subscribe, click HERE.

I have to give all credit to my assistant and friend Joey Mock RD, LD, CLT for giving so much energy to making this delicious veggie burger. It was certainly a labor of love but after one bite, it was well worth the time. If you are ready to make the most delicious homemade meatless burger you have ever tasted, here's the recipe.

The Ultimate Meatless Black Bean Burger (a labor of love) By Joey Mock, RD, LD, CLT This restaurant quality meaty Meatless Black Bean Burger recipe is mouthwatering deliciousness. From the flavor to the texture, you may even find that the beef eaters in your life refrain from asking “where’s the beef?” when sinking their teeth into this burger. To give you a heads-up, this recipe is quite the labor of love to prepare however, with a little planning and batch preparation, it is well worth the effort. The recipe makes 6 meal sized burgers. To make your efforts worthwhile, I would suggest making a double (or even triple) batch and freezing the extra patties for later use. Other time saving tips: purchase pre-shredded/sliced/minced ingredients like mushrooms, cheese, and garlic (or shred, slice, chop, grate, or mince ingredients ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use); roast your tofu, mushrooms, beans, and beets ahead of time (maybe even incorporate extras to have as a side for another meal and then use the leftovers in this recipe); and cook extra brown rice at another meal and refrigerate the leftovers to use in this recipe. Ingredients 7 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained 2 tablespoons olive oil 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (white or portobello), washed, trimmed and sliced ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt Freshly grated black pepper, to taste 1 (~15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 medium to large sized beet, peeled and coarsely grated ¾ cup almonds ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs ⅓ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce 2 green onions, sliced 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped ¾  teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup cooked brown rice   Preparation Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tofu into ¼-inch thick slabs and pat dry with paper towel. Brush both sides of tofu with olive oil and arrange on one half of a rimmed baking sheet. Spread mushrooms on the other half of the baking sheet and toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper. On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss beans and grated beet with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread the mixture evenly on baking sheet. Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Roast tofu and mushrooms until golden and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 22-25 minutes. Roast bean-beet mixture, tossing occasionally, until beans begin to split and beets are tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Let everything cool. Place nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add cooled tofu, mushrooms, bean-beet mixture, panko, cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, tamari or soy sauce, green onions, garlic, paprika, and salt. Pulse until ingredients are just combined. Pulse in rice to achieve a small chunky texture (do not overprocess to a smooth mixture). Scrape processed mixture into a bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes. Divide the chilled mixture into 6 equal portions and form each portion into a patty about 1 inch thick. Return to the fridge until ready to grill or freeze the burger patties for later use. Heat a grill over medium heat. Cook burgers until they are seared on both sides and firm when you press on them, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Alternatively, you can cook these in a skillet over medium heat.

Eggplant pizza, mango slaw and more!

On Saturday, my body did not disappoint me. I was actually very impressed with how my body performed with 6800 feet of climbing over 85 beautiful, hilly miles. Our ride included a 45-minute (for me), 5 mile climb to the top of Ceasers Head which has an elevation of 3215 feet. And to finish off the fun, I had a good two more hours of riding behind Karel's wheel to finish off our workout.
In the past I would have called this a training camp but now it's just part of our training, in our new backyard.
I will do a separate blog on this ride soon. In the mean time, let's eat!

After our 85-mile ride and 4 mile run, we did a little resting coupled with computer work and then it was time for some meal prep for our first house guests in Greenville!
Our friends Kristen and Trent Norris (and Trimarni athletes) came to Greenville from Charleston for their own personal Trimarni mini training camp in prep for Ironman Boulder and since nothing beats a home cooked meal, I couldn't wait to make their bellies happy after our awesome morning of training (they did a slightly shorter route of around 64 miles followed by a 15 min run).
After our workout we had our first real meal of the day (glass of milk w/ whey protein and handful granola for a recovery snack and then eggs, fresh bread and fruit for a meal for me) and then snacked throughout the afternoon before dinner. Mini carb + protein meals are best for helping the body recover and repair as oppose to one large super filling post workout meal followed by several hours of not eating.

For starters, an assortment of foods to meet the many cravings of athletes after a workout:
-Sweet cravings - fresh dates
-Salty - Pretzels and Triscuits
-Carby - fresh baguette from the local French bakery
-Crunchy - Mixed raw veggies
and hummus for dipping/spreading
 

 

Pizza makes me super happy all the time so I decided to do eggplant pizzas.

Eggplant Pizzas
2 large eggplants (cut into slices)
Panko bread crumbs
2 egg whites (slightly scrambled)
Marinara sauce
Fresh Mozzarella cheese
Fresh Basil (chopped)
Pepper and garlic spice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Arrange items: plate of sliced eggplant to far right, then shallow bowl of egg whites and then shallow bowl of bread crumbs.
3. Take one eggplant and place into bowl of egg whites for a second until slightly coated (just one side) and then press into bread crumbs and then place onto non stick cooking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. Continue doing this until all eggplant slices are coated.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until breadcrumbs are slightly toasted or eggplant is soft.
5. Remove pans and spread a spoonful of sauce on each eggplant and top with a pinch of fresh basil (as much as you want) and then a few pieces of mozzarella (I just broke the cheese into pieces instead of one thick slice on top).
6. Season with your choice of seasonings (I used fresh cracked pepper and garlic powder).
7. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Instead of a salad I wanted to do a refreshing slaw that had a bit of sweetness to it.
This slaw is very versatile and you can use whatever ingredients you are in the mood for such as nuts/seeds, raisins, cranberries, dried fruit or a different flavor of yogurt. This was a delicious side to our meal. 

Mango Slaw

2 bags slaw (I purchased from Publix grocery store)
1 large mango (soft to the touch)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Pinch of salt
2 small containers of pineapple chobani 0% Greek yogurt

1. Pour slaw into a large bowl.
2. Spoon yogurt into bowl and mix with a large mixing fork until evenly combined. 

3. Add a pinch of salt (to taste) and coconut and mix.
4. Add cubed mango and combine. 

5. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
(best if consumed within 3 days)

My plate made me yum a lot and my belly was super happy.
For my protein I kept it simple, a black bean Morning Star veggie burger. For everyone else, Karel made baked chicken (his own recipe).
We also had a bowl of Jasmine rice w/ onions because we LOVE jasmine rice. 

And for dessert......

Fresh cold seedless watermelon and

Dark Chocolate covered almonds from Trader Joes.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend, trained hard and smart and did some yumming with your own happy tummy "food is fuel and food is medicine" creations.