The triple B burger!

I'm going to be honest, These veggie burgers have a couple things going against them. They aren't the prettiest vegetarian burger on the block and they have two ingredients people tend to dislike, blue cheese and beets, as featured ingredients. So am I just crazy? Did the lack of sleep from the baby finally get to me? No, no, no. Guys, listen to me, they are so delicious. Blue cheese, beets and walnuts are a match made in meat alternative burger patty heaven.

The sweetness of the beets pairs perfectly with the tangy blue cheese and nuttiness of the toasted walnuts. Lemon-pepper arugula is not just a garnish, it adds a fresh crunch at the end of each bite. The small size of the patties makes them perfect for an appetizer or to turn a regular weekday night into a fun eating occasion.

The key to success with this recipe is not to over-process the ingredients. If the ingredients are over-processed it will result in the "refried beans" effect leaving your burger with the texture of, you guessed it, refried beans. Not the desired outcome. The beets, kale and beans should be pulsed in the food processor so that there are small, individual bits of all the ingredients visible. I included a picture of the uncooked patty to show the texture. A 1/2 cup of beans are left out of the food processor for extra texture (read: extra protection against the refried beans effect).

Note: This recipe may look familiar to all my longtime blog readers! I made a similar bean and beet burger in my early blog days. I decided to remake them for my Meatless Monday series on Patch. I ended up altering the recipe quite a bit so decided to share the new recipe with you guys.

Beet, Bean and Blue Cheese Sliders

Sliders made with blue cheese, beets and walnuts

Makes: 12 Sliders

Ingredients:

6 - 7 ounces cooked beets*, quartered
15 oz canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, cooled
2 cloves of garlic
Handful of fresh baby kale
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup arugula, for serving
Slider rolls, for serving
Salt and pepper, for seasoning

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Quarter the beets and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper
Add to a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and set aside to cool. Lower the oven to 350 degrees
Add toasted walnuts to a food processor and pulse until soft crumbs form*
Remove the walnuts from the food processor and place in a large bowl
With the food processor running, drop in the cloves of garlic and run until finely minced, Turn off the food processor
Add cooled roasted beets, kale, all but 1/2 cup of beans and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the food processor
Pulse until everything is evenly distributed and in small chunks - stop before it is smooth. You want it to have small bits with the edges just starting to become a paste
Empty the contents of the food processor into the bowl with the the walnuts
Very lightly mash the 1/2 cup of remaining beans with a fork - I usually cut them in half and lightly press on them
Stir in the 1/2 cup beans, bread crumbs, flour and blue cheese
Place in the refrigerator for about 30 min
After chilled, form patties on a large baking sheet. I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and shaped them into 1/2 inch high patties with my hands
Lightly brush the top and sides with olive oil. Carefully flip using a spatula and brush olive oil on the bottom. Add to the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes, flipping the patties halfway through
Add the patties to the slider buns and top with arugula and blue cheese sauce (recipe below)
* I recommend Love Beets, cooked and vacuum packed regular and baby beets. I find them at both my regular grocery store and Whole Foods in the refrigerated section. Trader Joe's also sells vacuum packed beets