The beans had been going so well that I started wondering what else I could do with them.
The answer, it turned out, was veggie burgers. I took the bean base I’d been making - black beans, kidney beans, and lentils, cooked down with onion and garlic - mashed them slightly, and mixed in some cooked quinoa, sautéed spinach, and breadcrumbs to hold it together. Formed them into patties, pan fried them until they had a decent crust, and put them on the table without much ceremony.
My son took a hesitant bite, declared it “the best thing ever. Other than pancakes.” Then asked for another. I started to worry about just how much legumes he could consume before we would have to vacate the house, when he announced he was full.
A week later he told his friends about it at school. I found this out when another parent stopped me at pickup, slightly out of nowhere, and asked if I could share my veggie burger recipe. Apparently my son had been enthusiastic enough about it that the information had traveled. I stood there for a second processing the fact that my seven-year-old, who eighteen months ago subsisted largely on plain pasta noodles and crackers, had voluntarily told his friends about a veggie burger he liked. That I had made. Not from McDonalds.
I said I’d write it up. So that’s coming.
My daughter eats the veggie burger too, which I want to be clear about because it doesn’t happen automatically. She inspects every bite before it goes in her mouth. Lifts it, examines it, looks for anything green that might be attempting to sneak through. She has not yet identified the spinach, which by the time it’s sautéed and mixed into the patty is basically invisible. I am not going to tell her about the spinach. We have been through this before and I know how it ends.
She eats it. That’s what matters.
For the kids, the burgers come with fried corn kernels on top - crunchy, slightly sweet, and for reasons I don’t fully understand, completely acceptable to both of them despite corn not being on anyone’s approved list in any other context. My son eats his with homemade pickles, which deserve their own post and will get one. For now: he puts them on the burger, he is very serious about this, and the combination apparently works. When I tell him I’m making burgers, he immediately inspects the contents of the fridge, looking for my pickles. Store-bought pickles are acceptable, but just barely, and will come with quite a lot of complaining.
He has eaten two burgers in one sitting. Twice.
For the adults, the burger becomes something else entirely - gochujang mayo, sliced raw onion, the fried corn kernels, kimchi. Same patty, completely different experience. My wife and I have started looking forward to veggie burger nights in a way that has nothing to do with managing anyone’s eating habits.
The bean batch in the fridge is now doing two jobs: quesadillas on short notice, and veggie burgers when there’s a bit more time. I did not expect beans to become a cornerstone of how this family eats. But here we are, and I’m not questioning it.
Full recipe post coming soon. My son has already told me what to call it.