Cheap Eats: Veggie Burgers

The Topic: Cheap, tasty veggie burgers you can make in no time flat with Online Editor Anna Peraino

The Dish: With so many vegan burgers to be found in your neighborhood freezer section these days, how is one to choose which patty is best, while risking the dreaded over-priced hockey puck? My roommate’s parents went mostly vegan a few months ago, and they recently shared this criminally easy veggie burger recipe with us. A combination of brown rice, black beans, corn, and spices, these savory patties are heavy on the flavor while being light on the wallet. You’ll never have to play Russian roulette with your grocery budget again.

Easy Veggie Burgers

Makes 4 jumbo patties

What You Need:

2 cups cooked brown rice
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ear of cooked corn, cob removed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

What You Do:

1. In a food processor, process all ingredients until mixture resembles ground meat.
2. In a lightly oiled frying pan over medium-high, cook patties 3 to 5 minutes each side.

The Final Word: Hate black beans? Use white. Think corn is ho-hum? Try beets. The great thing about this recipe is that it serves as the beginning of your wildest veggie-burger dreams. And no, I’m not talking about the kind of dreams where giant veggie burgers chase after you or vegan cheeseburgers rain down from the sky (though the latter does sound pretty awesome).