SIX BEAN BURGER ON CRANBERRY OAT MUFFIN

I wanted something for breakfast that would be super energizing and easy to put together quickly when the hunger pangs strike! The key factor is to food prep ahead of time so that it's easily available. I spent an hour yesterday making some delicious bean burgers and cranberry oat muffins. I do change up my recipes constantly depending on what I have on hand and what my current feelings are on what might be slightly healthier for my body. Bean Burgers are easy to make to your own specifications - you can barely go wrong starting with any can of beans and a variety of starches - be it rice or oats or ? If you want a specific bean burger recipes check my blog search engine. Just type in burgers and  you'll get a few variations to give you some ideas.

For these bean burgers I mixed up the following ingredients in a large bowl.

one can of mixed medley great value beans - current cost in Canada is $1.44 for 540 ml. plus one can Sprague Black Lentils. Cost is $1.99 online at  Well.ca.

First thing is drain and rinse your beans really well. If I'm feeling ambitious I also bring to a boil in spring water and then simmer for up to an hour. Drain again. I will always do this if my beans are older. Beans I used today were best before January 2024 so I did indeed do it. Rinse well first than use fresh water to boil/simmer the beans. I also opened a can of Sprague Black Lentils but did not boil these as best before date is 2027. They are amazing tasting lentils. I have found them at Walmart in the past but don't know if they are still available there. They are available currently from Well.ca for $1.99. Grab a  pastry cutter or potato masher to mash up the beans. A couple tablespoons of marinara sauce or anything saucy helps to facilitate the mashing process. Add one cup of quick oats. Keep mashing together till beans, oats and sauce are mixed together well. 

In the meantime I soaked 2 tbsp. of golden roasted ground flaxseed with 5 tbsp. water to be used as binder instead of eggs which you could use if they agree with you. I sautéed onions and garlic (use as much as you love - I like a lot). My favorite golden roasted ground flaxseed is CanMar brand.

I had ground up sunflower seeds - I added about 1/3 cup. If you have time roast up your sunflower seeds lightly in the oven before grinding.  I put in 2 tablespoons of hempseeds. For spices I went heavy on chili powder, garlic powder - a bit of salt/pepper to taste. I always love the addition of  Paul Brag Amino Acids along with a couple of teaspoons of  Better Than Bouillon, Vegetarian No Chicken Base.  Its no an easy one to source at times. I have the best luck ordering online from Well.ca.  However I do live in the middle of nowhere in east central Alberta so that's a big reason for my woes on sourcing some elusive items! I finely grated a small raw beet, a medium sized carrot and chopped up a healthy amount of fresh curly parsley to complete today's veggie burger mixture. Taste your mixture before baking to make sure it's seasoned to your preference.  1/3 mixture per burger gives about the right size to put on home baked oat muffin. Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and/or coconut oil at about 350 F for 30 - 40 minutes on one side - flip and do another 20-30. They taste great warm or cold. Cold is my preferred temperature for my muffin as it's just easier and tastes perfectly delicious. We are sitting pretty chilly here in East Central Alberta today!   How is it in your neck of the woods as we heading close to Christmas 2025?