January 24, 2014 January 24, 2014/ Morgan
Sliders are the perfect party food. Or kid food, even! Little sandwiches with super flavorful fillings – it’s great when you make several kinds so that everyone can try all of them instead of just getting filled up on one. So these bad boys were created with that in mind.
And of all of my burgers I’ve made so far these are HANDS DOWN my favorite! The flavor is just perfect for these taste buds. Lots of goodness going on here. The caramelized onions and mushrooms are INSIDE the burger along with a healthy dose of cracked black pepper. They are so tasty that they are best with just basic condiments – a bit of plant strong mayonnaise, some greens and a bun. Heck you can eat them bunless on some lettuce or wrapped in collard greens if you want (they will still taste fantastic.)
Now you have to get your hands on some good smoked paprika (like this one.) and you will not be sorry if you don’t use it regularly already! It makes so many things taste amazing and smokey. I LOVE it on baked french fries or in homemade sauces. You can also put it in some hummus for a really fantastic smokey twist! Love this stuff!!! It really makes these little vegan sliders extra super special.
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup rolled oats (use certified gluten free if you need to!)
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 large onion, cut into quarters and sliced thin
- 1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (I used my pepper mill!)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or liquid smoke
- 6 rolls, buns, or wraps of some sort (collard greens would be awesome!)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a large nonstick pan over high heat. Add your onions and mushrooms to the pan. Turn the heat down a touch stir frequently while cooking the onions and mushrooms. You want the onions to turn fairly brown but do not let them burn. Feel free to add a sprinkle of salt to help them release moisture. It will take several minutes (depending on how thin you cut them) for the onions to cook down but be patient, it is worth it.
Smash the beans in a medium/large bowl with a fork until all of the beans have been smashed but it’s not like a puree (a rough smash! hahah!) Now mix the oats, rice, cooked onions and mushrooms, salt, pepper and smoked paprika or liquid smoke together. Mix it well with your clean hands. If it seems a tad dry you can add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time but you don’t want it to be super wet.
Split the mixture into 6 balls and flatten them out into mini burgers. Place them on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and then flip the burgers over and bake for another 10 minutes.
Serve on some split rolls (whatever kind you like!) with some arugula and Plant Strong Mayo!