Black Bean Burger & seeking your suggestions on Soy Products

As a health freak, i was so obsessed with favorite health food(Soy). I was extensively using soy milk, extra firm tofu replacing paneer(cottage cheese), silken tofu to fortify roti dough, soy chunks, soy crisps, soy burgers, soy bars and what not for couple of years. As you all know in this country you have the whole sale clubs so that everything can be bought in bulk and your basement can be filled with them. Well i was one too, i used to buy cartons of soy milk and store in my basement as buying in bulk worked out cheap if you are living on it. All this continued for years until year and half before. My younger one was having lot of feeding issues and we were struggling hard so that she comes atleast in the graph(0-5 percentile of the growth chart) and through a common friend met with a doctor. He suggested certain supplements and asked us to give protein rich food to her. I proudly talked about our protein rich diet habit with soy milk and all the products i listed above. He immediately said don't give her soy milk and tofu and you also better stay away from it. He said commercially manufactured soy products/protein is not good and may even cause cancer. We were shell shocked and googling more found the following

Soybeans in fact contain a large number of dangerous substances. The act of fermenting soybeans nullify the anti-nutrients & toxins , cooking and precipitation do not. Although hese enzyme inhibitors are found in reduced levels within precipitated soy products like tofu, they are not completely eliminated. For this reason, if you are going to consume soy, USE fermented products only, like tempeh or miso. Only after a long period of fermentation (as occurs in the creation of miso or tempeh) are the antinutrient and phytate levels of soybeans reduced, making their nourishment available to the human digestive system. There is lot of information available on this when you google and my head was swirling, so as a layman what i decided was to throw away the 2 packs with a dozen each of soy milk from my basement in the trash and not to go for tofu or soy burger any more. If you gals have more information to share on what all soy products are safe to use and a safe quantity to consume, please enlighten. So that was the reason i started making my own burger in batches and freezing them. Now coming to the recipe.

Know what you Eat - Black beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. Oats are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin. They also contain antioxidants that are believed to protect the circulatory system from diseases such as arteriosclerosis, which affects the arterial blood vessel. Chia seeds are very good source of omega - 3, dietary fiber, antioxidants. They also contain calcium and protein.

Cooking Time : 20 - 30 min
Preparation Time : 10-20 min
Serves : Makes 6 patties

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups(12 oz) - Cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup finely chopped red,yellow,green bell pepper
1 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tablespoon Oregano powder
1 tsp or taste cayenne pepper
1/2 Cup of Powdered Chia(Powder Chia in a food processor into fine powder)
1/2 cup of Oats powder (Use quick cooking and make a fine powder in your food processor)
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Method

1) Rinse and drain black bean thoroughly and let it drain compeletly without any water.
2) In a food processor run the celery through you will get a coarse paste
3) Heat Oil add chopped onions and saute till translucent, now add the chopped peppers, celery paste, 1/4 tsp of salt and saute till the peppers are well cooked.
4) Now add the drained black beans, onion powder, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper saute for 5 minutes and then switch off the stove
5) Using a thick spoon mash the black bean, once well mashed add the powdered chia, oats powder and combine thoroughly.
6) Preheat oven to 375 degress.
7)Divide the mixture in to balls and flatten them with your hand and place them in parchment paper in a baking pan and bake for 10 minutes on each side and then broil for 5 minutes till the pattie is well baked.
8) Serve in a burger bun with vegetables and ketchup of your choice.

Event Participation

This dish goes to Low fat eggless baking event hosted by Madhu.
This dish goes to My legume love affair twelfth helping event hosted by Annarasa created by Susan.
Original Recipes - Monthly Round up hosted by Lorie.

This dish is our contribution to AFAM-Bell Pepper event, hosted by Priya orignially started by Maheswari.

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Blackbean and Barley Soup

Know what you Eat - While all beans are exceptionally healthy foods when it comes to their protein and fiber content, it's the color coat on black beans that makes them particularly interesting in contrast to other beans. Researchers have found at least 8 different flavonoids in the black bean's color coat. Flavonoids are color-producing phytonutrients pigments that have great anti-oxidant potential. Barley and other whole grains are a rich source of magnesium, a mineral that acts as a co-factor for more than 300 enzymes, including enzymes involved in the body's use of glucose and insulin secretion.

I just love black beans because it is so healthy and when added to soup along with all the veggies and whole grains like barley it is a one pot dish with all the ingredients from different food groups.

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 40 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients

Black Bean - 1 cup
Whole barley(not pearl barley) - 1 cup
Chopped vegetables( i used beets,red,green,orange bell pepper, scallion and celery) - 4 cups
Salt - to taste
Lime juice - 1 tsp or to taste
Garlic - 4 cloves
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Dry parsley - 1/2 tsp
Fresh ground black pepper - 1 tsp or taste
Mint leaves - handful
Oil - 2 tsp
Water

Method

1) Soak black bean and barley in hot water for at least 4 hours.
2) Add salt and little bit of water and pressure cook bean for 3 whistles.
3) Add enough water and salt and cook barley on stove top till tender stirring in between.
4) Rinse and drain black bean and barley and keep it aside.
5) Heat oil and add the chopped garlic and saute till becomes golden.
6) Now add the mint leaves and all the chopped vegetables, salt and cover it and cook till tender.
7) Add 3/4 of the quantity of black beans, all of the cooked barley to the vegetables.
8) Mash the remaining black beans with a masher and add it along with water to the desired consistency to the above.
9) Now add the oregano, parsley and simmer for five minutes, stirring thoroughly so that the spices are well mixed.
10) Switch of add fresh ground pepper and lemon juice and serve hot.
Water

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Super Healthy Black Bean Burger

Nutritional Info - CHIA the magic seeds are a boon to people with diabetes The gel that is formed in the stomach creates a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down, thus slowing the conversion of carbohydrates into sugar. This is one of Nature’s perfect foods, containing essential fatty acids (an excellent vegetarian source of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid), protein, soluble fiber, protective antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and more.

In this burger recipe instead of the usual bread crumbs used for binding, powdered chia is used which makes this a super food.

Cooking Time : 20 - 30 min

Preparation Time : 10-20 min

Serves : 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup cubed red,yellow,green bell pepper, finely chopped celery, carrot and mushroom

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Onion powder

1/2 tablespoon Oregano powder

1-2 Green Chillis or to taste

1/2 Cup of Powdered Chia (Add additional if required)

1 tablespoon cumin powder

Salt to taste

Method to make Burger

1) Rinse and drain black bean thoroughly and let it drain compeletly without any water.

2) In a food processor finely chop bell peppers, celery, carrot and mushroom.

3) Now add the Onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, chilli, cumin powder, salt and blend for a minute.

4) Now add the black beans and just blend only once so that all the ingredients are mixed together.

5) Make sure the black beans doesn't become a puree but is mashed and combined nicely.

6) Mix the powdered chia until the mixture is sticky and holds together.

7) Divide the mixture in to patties and bake in preheated oven to 375 degrees.

8) Bake about 10 minutes on each side.

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