Serves 4. GF, DF, V, VG
Are you already saying what on Earth is an adzuki bean?!
It’s a magic little bean, not quite magic enough to grow a beanstalk, but full of pretty amazing stuff to grow a healthy human body. In fact, with 30% of the RDI of folate, adzuki beans are really good at that!
These small, reddish beans are traditionally used in Japan and parts of South East Asia. They’re not as well known in the West as some of the other beans, but they have all the wonderful benefits of and then some!
Adzuki beans are extremely high in protein and fibre (7.3 - 7.5gm of each per 100gm!), and very low in calories and fat.
They’ll keep you full, stimulate and feed your bowel, manage cholesterol and avoid insulin spikes. Yay!
As well as the folate, they have good amounts of all the other B vitamins, making them great for energy and nerve function. They have good levels and balance of minerals including magnesium (30% of the RDI per 100gm), potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.
As far as plant proteins go, adzuki beans are a total winner!
I’m sharing this simple recipe for Adzuki Bean burgers, because they are a they are a FABULOUS replacement for meat-based burgers.
Unlike many packaged plant based burgers, or meat-free burgers, these are free from trans fats, GMO soy, emulsifiers, excess salt, colours and preservatives. So honestly, they are actually good for you!
My adzuki bean burgers are quick and easy to make, gluten free, dairy free, packed with amazing wholefood nutrients. I can almost guarantee even the fussiest kid will eat them (don’t tell them it’s beans until they’re finished!)
WHAT YOU NEED:
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup flaxmeal / ground flax seeds
1 BPA-free tin (400gm) Organic Adzuki Beans
1/2 white onion
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley (leaves only)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 TBS sesame or black sesame seeds
1 tsp seasalt + 1/2 tsp white pepper
WHAT TO DO:
Put the oats in a blender and mix on high until they are completely ground. Remove to mixing bowl.
Put everything except the beans into the blender and give it a good whizz. Scrape down the sides. Add the beans and blend just long enough to mix all the ingredients. You should still have a few whole beans as well as some that are totally mashed.
Transfer this to the oats and mix together by hand to completely combine. The mix should be quite firm, but you might need to add a tiny bit of water to help mix through. Leave this to sit in fridge for about 20 mins.
When ready to cook, use a flat grill pan. Add some olive oil and spread to coat pan.
Take a handful of the bean mixture, shape it into a ball, then flatten to make a nice burger patty. You should get 4 decent sized patties from this mix.
Put the patties on the hot pan and cook for about 5 mins (don’t flip too early; cooking helps hold it together). Flip when nicely cooked side one and cook equal time on side two.
TO SERVE:
For the kids, I use either a nice quality sourdough or Burgen Soy Lin bread as the ‘buns.’ We fill it with grated carrot, mixed lettuce leaves and grated beetroot. The kids go for tomato sauce, and sometimes add a slice of tasty cheese. Honestly, after all the good stuff in this meal, that’s a fair trade-off for me!
I enjoy mine breadless, just sitting on a mix of the lettuce leaves with the carrot and beetroot on top with a delicious tomato salsa or chutney and some powerkrauts.
Such a great plant based meal.
Your adzuki bean burgers beat the health daylights out of pretty much any meat-free burger you can find in a supermarket. At least than 30 mins cook time, it’s time well invested in you and your family’s health.
Enjoy.
