Mushroom Farro Burger

Even when I didn’t have any dietary restriction, beef was never a favorite. However, here and I would always have a burger. For the past four months, however, I’ve been trying the whole vegan/vegetarian thing, and sometimes I miss food that is a bit more hearty. If you read any of my other posts, you can tell that I am not one to take no for an answer, so when the craving for a burger came, I knew I wouldn’t settle down until I found a satisfying solution.

A couple months ago, I had dinner at the Rivoli where I had the veggie burger. It tasted very close to beef, and its texture was also very similar. But what called my attention the most was the presence of farro. I got some farro a few months ago as another grain option, only to find out that it was rich in fiber, protein, and iron. Moreover, I think that its nutty flavor makes a world of difference when recreating the burger flavor.

So I began my research. And I found this recipe on The Ranger’s Daughter blog. I picked this recipe because I had farro, it had chia, which is also very nutritious and fiber-rich, and all I had to buy was the black bean. So I gave it a try. It was a simple recipe, and I liked all the ingredients it called for, so I only did a couple minor changes to add more flavor to the burger.

Another great thing about this burger is that it has a grain and a legume, making up a complete protein, very important if you are vegetarian or vegan. So here is my version of the recipe, which is pretty much the same as the original, with a few tweaks.

Mushroom Farro Burger

Adapted from The Ranger’s Daughter

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Course Main Course

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• Food processor

Ingredients

  

• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• ¼ cup water
• 6 oz cremini mushrooms finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 1 cup farro cooked
• ½ cup black beans cooked, mostly drained but still wet
• ¼ tsp kosher salt plus more for cooking
• ¼ tsp black pepper ground
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (or other nut butter) 
• 1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1⅔ tbsp extra light olive oil

Instructions

 

• Cook the farro with salt and one bay leaf. Do the same for the black beans.
• In a small container, mix the chia seeds and the water and set it aside.
• Heat up a large sauté pan, add the 2 tsp of olive oil and once it's warm, sautée the mushrooms for about 3 minutes. Add salt, the garlic, and stir until all the mushroom water has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned.
• Remove the mushrooms from heat and set them in a bowl. Wipe the pan and set it aside to fry the burgers.
• In a blender or food processor, pulse oats into a coarse powder and add it to the bowl with the mushrooms.
• Do the same with the farro, until it's coarsely chopped. Add it to the bowl.
• Blend or process the beans to a paste and add it to the bowl.
• Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl, except the olive oil, and mix until well combined.
• Adjust the seasoning.
• Divide the mixture into four Form the burgers in your hands or using cookie cutters.
• Heat up the 2 Tbsp olive oil and fry all the burgers in the pan, if using a small pan, you can divide the oil and fry one at a time. You can also bake the patties in the oven or use a nonstick pan and omit the olive oil.
• Place it on paper-towel, and assemble it with the toppings of your choosing.

Keyword burger, vegan

You can use dijon mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, onion walnut pate, spinach, avocados, pickles, the options are endless… And the best part is that by changing the topping, you will have a whole new burger, which is amazing! Serve it with oven baked fries and a nice strawberry smoothie and you’ll have your full decadent, yet healthy meal.

This recipe is so great, last time I made it I doubled it and froze it, so I can have it whenever I’m in the mood. Hope you enjoy it!