Lemon & Rosemary White Bean Burger with Mediterranean-Style Salad

We all get stuck in recipe ruts. What to make for dinner? What should I have for breakfast this week? But, lunchtime seems to be the hardest, especially for me!

We’ve all had sandwiches. Brought leftovers {this is me}! Made wraps. Grabbed lunch with co-workers. But who couldn’t use some other recipes in their meal-time arsenal?

This month’s recipe redux is dedicated to sharing healthy, tasty, and interesting lunch time ideas!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the recipe show!

I’m stepping outside of my comfort zone and sharing a vegetarian recipe that I’ve always wanted to make. I’m taking the high fiber, plant-based protein benefits of beans and turning them into a unique, filling, versatile, and delicious lunch!

This recipe looks long and complicated, but it’s really not!

Simply cook the beans {this part is what takes the longest, but you don’t have to do much work}.

Add some simple fixin’s like herbs, veggies, and spices.

Form into “burgers.” Cook and top with veggies. It takes a few hours, but it’s simple steps and not a whole lot of ingredients needed.

You could even take a short cut by using canned white beans rather than soaking and cooking dried beans.

Lemon & Rosemary White Bean Burger 

Makes: 10 burgers

Ingredients:

1 pound dried white or cannelini beans

4 cups no salt added stock {vegetable, chicken or seafood depending on preference}

4 cups water {1-4 additional cups may be needed}

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 red onion, diced

1 tablespoon ground oregano

2 sprigs rosemary, minced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/16 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 egg

3 tablespoons dill paste

1/2 cup oats

1 tablespoon olive oil

 avocado slices

arugula

Directions:

In a large bowl, cover the beans with water and allow to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Then strain the beans and pour into a large Dutch oven or pot. Pour in the stock of choice and water. Bring to a boil, cover, and allow to simmer for an hour and half. Stirring occasionally.

Add the seasonings {garlic, onion, oregano, lemon zest, rosemary, salt, and pepper}. Stir well to combine, cover again, and continue to simmer for another 2 hours or so {until the beans soften and absorb the liquid}. You may need to add more water throughout the process to keep the beans moist until they have become soft.

Once the beans are tender, turn off the heat and allow to cool {about 30 minutes to an hour} before preparing the burger patties.

To prepare the burgers, mash the beans with a fork or potato masher. Whisk an egg and combine it with the beans. Add in the dill paste and oats. Toss everything to combine well. Allow to set in the fridge for about 30 minutes {meanwhile prepare the salad below}.

Form the beans into burger-shaped patties by scooping out large handful-shaped or cup-size portions.

In a large saute pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil and heat to medium heat. Add 3-4 bean burgers and allow to cook on the first side {about 5 minutes} without touching. Flip when the first side has become golden brown and allow to cook on the other side for another 4-5 minutes.

Serve on top of a bed of arugula, top with sliced avocado, and the fresh tomato cucumber Mediterranean salad.

Tomato & Cucumber Mediterranean-Style Salad

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 English cucumber

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/16 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

 reduced fat feta cheese (optional)

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Toss well to combine and allow to marinade in the fridge until ready to serve.

These two recipes work wonders together and would make a perfect addition to your lunch time routine. Yes, it involves some steps, but you can make it slowly and easily on a day off while you are doing other things.  The avocado adds a nice creamy richness to the thick, flavorful beans. The fresh salad on top is a different way to incorporate veggies at lunch. They add color {think vitamins and minerals} along with a refreshing, crisp texture.

If you need more variety to your meals in a week- you can even make the beans and have them on their own for the first few days of the week. Then prepare burgers out of some of the remaining amounts for dinner one night. For the remaining lunch days, you can turn the leftover burgers into a bean burger bowl. Three different options with just one recipe!

Bon appetite!

Becca

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For a display of the other participating redux members‘ recipe share today, please click the following link: