BBQ Beet Burgers with Crispy Onion Rings
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Serves: ~6
 
A high protein veggie burger that holds up well and tastes awesome with BBQ sauce nd homemade onion rings!
Ingredients
  • 1 Beet
  • ½ cup Brown Basmati Rice
  • ½ cup Crimson Lentils
  • 1¾ cups Water or Broth
  • ¼ cup Onion, chopped
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • BBQ Sauce
  • 1 small Onion, thinly sliced into rings
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • ½-1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Wash beet. Remove any greens still attached. Wrap beet tightly in aluminum foil and roast until soft, about 30 minutes. Remove beet from oven and allow to cool.
  3. Meanwhile, bring brown rice and water to a boil in a saucepan with a lid. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
  4. Remove lid, stir in lentils and replace lid quickly. Return to a simmer and allow to cook for about 15 minutes more, until all the water has absorbed and lentils and rice are soft. Allow to cool to room temperature.
  5. When beet is cool enough to handle, slip skin off and shred using a food processor or a cheese grater. Don't worry about the pink fingers, the pink usually tones itself down after a few washes. If you re really concerned about it, feel free to wear gloves.
  6. Combine shredded beet, rice/lentils, chopped onion and one egg. Mix well.
  7. Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add about ⅓ cup burger mixture. Smash down to about ½" thick and allow to cook until the edges are turning brown, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook 4 minutes on the other side. (At this point you can allow the burgers to cool and then freeze them, or serve them piping hot with your favorite toppings)
  8. Make Onion Rings:
  9. Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  10. Separate onions into individual rings.
  11. Dip each ring into flour, then into the other beaten egg.
  12. Place ring onto the parchment lined tray. Repeat until all the onion rings are coated.
  13. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Cover beet burger in BBQ sauce, then top with crispy onion rings and serve on a toasted bun.
Notes
It is not necessary to cook the rice and lentils together. I have found that I like using fewer pots and pans, so I do it in one pot, but feel free to cook them separately to ensure that they cook properly. Or, if you have leftovers, stir in 1 cup each of lentils and rice.
Sliced Granny Smith Apples are absolutely killer on these burgers!
Recipe by Super Foods Life at https://www.superfoodslife.com/bbq-beet-burgers-with-onion-rings/