Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Veggie Burgers

When I was in nutrition school, Dr. Joel Fuhrman gave a great lecture on the importance of having a healthy diet and active lifestyle to help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, reduce high blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and more – without drugs – so of course I was interested in everything he had to say. He focused on the importance of adding more fresh, whole foods to your diet, especially green and colorful vegetables, and fruits. Dr. Fuhrman refers to this diet as a, “Nutritarian diet.” When I discovered his Sunny Bean Burgers recipe, I knew I had to try it. The burgers were yummy and so easy to make! Plus, they were a hit for the 4th of July 🙂

Ingredients:

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free

2 cups cooked kidney or pinto beans or canned no-salt-added or low- sodium kidney beans, drained (I used BPA-free canned kidney beans)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons low-sodium ketchup (be sure it’s gluten-free if you’re gluten-free!)
1/2 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon wheat germ or old fashioned rolled oats (I used old fashioned rolled oats; this recipe is gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (sometimes I use cayenne pepper to make the burgers extra spicy)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.

Mash the beans with a potato masher and add ketchup. Finely chop the sunflower seeds in a food processor and add to the mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix them together, and form 6 patties (roughly).

Place the patties on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Dr. Fuhrman recommends removing the patties from the oven and letting them cool so that you can reshape the patties, flip them on the other side, and put them back in the oven for 10 minutes. I did this a couple of times, but didn’t find it necessary as my burgers stayed together. So, I bake them for 20 minutes, flip them over, and continue baking for about 10 more minutes. You will know when they are done because they won’t look as moist, and you will easily be able to move them. Let them cool before you assemble your burgers. I used buns (grab gluten-free ones to make this recipe gluten-free!) and added tomatoes, pickles, mixed greens, red onion, jalapeno, dried cranberries, and vegan thousand island dressing, and oh my gosh, these burgers were amazing! Enjoy!