Ingredients

The following ingredients have 8 Servings
  • 1/2 red onion ((finely diced // 1/2 onion yields ~3/4 cup))
  • 6 button or baby bella mushrooms ((diced // 6 mushrooms yield ~1 1/4 cups))
  • 1 pinch each salt and pepper
  • 1 15-ounce can kidney (or black) beans ((well rinsed and drained))
  • 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 Tbsp (yes, Tablespoon) chili powder ((or sub cumin))
  • ~1/2 cup raw walnuts ((crushed or ground into a loose meal // divided))
  • 1 shake vegan Worcestershire or A-1 sauce

Instruction

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add some nonstick spray or add a bit of olive oil. When hot, add the onion and slowly sauté, seasoning with a pinch each salt and pepper.
  • When the onions are soft – about 5 minutes – turn up the heat to medium and add the mushrooms. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms and onions are slightly browned and fragrant – about 3 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add beans and mash. You’re looking for a rough mash, not to turn it into a paste, so you can leave some whole or halved if you want. Taste and add another pinch of salt, or pepper if needed.
  • Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, add the quinoa, chili powder or cumin and stir. Lastly, add the walnuts a little at a time until the mixture is thick and malleable enough to form into patties. Pop in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to cool and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray or olive oil.
  • Once chilled, form into small patties. I love using a peanut butter jar lid lined with plastic wrap to get the perfect, mess-free shape (a tip I learned from Iowa Girl Eats). See photo.
  • Arrange on the baking sheet and brush or spray the tops with olive oil and another pinch of black pepper and any leftover crushed walnuts (optional). Bake for a total of 40-45 minutes, flipping around the 20-minute mark. Cook longer to dry them out even more and achieve more crisp, but it’s not necessary. For a quicker option, form into thinner patties (1/4 inch) and brown in a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat lightly coated with olive oil. Cook until brown on both sides – 3-4 minutes on each side. However, this version doesn’t get them as well done in the middle.
  • Serve on small buns or atop mixed greens with desired toppings.
  • If you don’t want to cook the whole batch at once, form into 10 thicker patties (as original recipe is written), par-bake them at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Then cool and stack between layers of parchment paper and cover. Freeze for up to a few weeks. To cook, bake as instructed until desired texture/color is reached.
  • Makes ~10 medium baked patties or ~16 thin sautéed patties (as original recipe is written)