Sometimes I wish I owned a diner. A grease trap where I could flip burgers and die a milkshake filled life. It wouldn't be any ord...





Sometimes I wish I owned a diner. A grease trap where I could flip burgers and die a milkshake filled life. It wouldn't be any ordinary dive, it would be unique like the ones featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives... With crazy crap on the walls and recipes handed down over generations. Oh, and pie. There would always be pies.



I don't make burgers that often. I was thinking about that fact a lot today because as a kid burgers were my favorite thing on earth. I would drag my dad to a local dive that made the best burgers and fries I've ever had to this day -- Fatso's. Fatso's doesn't exist anymore. The owner developed arthritis in his knees and couldn't handle the long hours running around the restaurant. My family and I would go at least once a week and it was the neighborhood spot where most kids got their first jobs. They made the most amazingly awesome curly fries. Huge ringlets of perfectly cajun french fries made and cut fresh by the barrel in house daily. They also made colossal burgers as well as a few Greek specialties like souvlaki. Oh and huge salads. I didn't order those too often though! No, I was a regular with a special. I would always get a bacon burger. I would then load it with mayo and BBQ sauce and lettuce, tomato and red onion on a big toasted fluffy buttery bun. And of course the curly fries on the side with ketchup (and mayo!). Heaven. Other times I'm quite happy that I don't own a diner. Don't have to invest endless hours in making the same food day in day out. But today was one of those cheeseburger and milkshake dreamy days. Luckily for me my husband was prepared to humor me.I don't make burgers that often. I was thinking about that fact a lot today because as a kid burgers were my favorite thing on earth. I would drag my dad to a local dive that made the best burgers and fries I've ever had to this day -- Fatso's. Fatso's doesn't exist anymore. The owner developed arthritis in his knees and couldn't handle the long hours running around the restaurant. My family and I would go at least once a week and it was the neighborhood spot where most kids got their first jobs. They made the most amazingly awesome curly fries. Huge ringlets of perfectly cajun french fries made and cut fresh by the barrel in house daily. They also made colossal burgers as well as a few Greek specialties like souvlaki. Oh and huge salads. I didn't order those too often though! No, I was a regular with a special. I would always get a bacon burger. I would then load it with mayo and BBQ sauce and lettuce, tomato and red onion on a big toasted fluffy buttery bun. And of course the curly fries on the side with ketchup (and mayo!). Heaven.









Today I wanted a bacon burger.





I don't eat bacon and I don't eat meat anymore so bacon and beef aren't available to me and I was just fine with that. Ladies and gents, I present my take on the classic bacon burger. This burger has it all -- protein, essential fatty acids, fiber and a lovely smokey flavor to balance it out. Best of all these burgers are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, vegan and totally delicious.





So what's in it and what's the bacon??





Well it's a black bean burger with beet bacon!





That sounds too healthy to taste good!









Well, it does taste good. You all will just have to process that.



This burger is really good when dressed up with beet bacon, ketchup, mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion. My husband added some avocado to his because he doesn't believe in veggie burgers without avocado.



He also enjoyed his burger on a bun. I didn't have any gluten free buns for me to enjoy these patties on, so instead I made my bacon burger into a healthy wrap which was delicious!



To do so I wrapped the bean burger in a big leaf of Swiss chard and topped it with the hot and smokey beet bacon, some vegan mayo and organic ketchup. The wrap worked out really well as it really let me taste the star of the sandwich, the burger! Not to mention it took about half the time to assemble as my husband's more traditional burger. In fact, by the time I had devoured my wrap, he had only placed his bun on top of his burger! When he polished off his burger he was still hungry but didn't want another whole one so I convinced him to try a wrap too. His initial reaction to my suggestion was "fuck no, sacrilege". That aside I worked magic and he was eating a wrap within ten minutes. To his delight no less! He now actually likes my healthy bean burger wraps. So yes, I'm fully advocating for these healthy "bacon burger" wraps of mine.









So yes, to summarize:





beans + beets + smoke+ swiss chard + vegenaise + ketchup

=

BACON BURGER WRAPS!





My bacon burger addiction just got a whole lot healthier!













The Works Bean Burger (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free) Makes 1 Awesome Vegan “Bacon Burger"

Recipe Courtesy of Baking Backwards and Danielle Dewar. 1 Black Bean Quinoa Burger (recipe follows below)

½ batch Beet Bacon (recipe follows below)

1 toasted burger bun

1 burger size serving of sliced red onion

1 leaf of lettuce or swiss chard

2 slices of roma tomato

1 tbsp ketchup or BBQ sauce

1 tbsp vegan mayo

1 tsp mustard

½ small avocado, sliced Make sure your burger is hot (ie/ hot out of the oven) or if not, pan fry it before serving. Toast your bun and place your condiments on one half, the avocado on the other. Top the avocado with the lettuce and onion. Place the burger patty on top of the onion. Add your tomato slices and then place your condiment-dressed half of the bun on top. Serve immediately.

The Works Bean Burger Wrap (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free) Makes 1 Awesome Vegan “Bacon Burger” Wrap Recipe Courtesy of Baking Backwards and Danielle Dewar. 1 large leaf of organic swiss chard or collard greens, washed and dried, base stem removed 1 Black Bean Quinoa Burger (recipe follows below)

½ batch Beet Bacon (recipe follows below)

1 tbsp ketchup or BBQ sauce

1 tbsp vegan mayo

1 burger size serving of sliced red onion (optional)

1 slice roma tomato (optional)

1 tsp mustard (optional)

½ small avocado, sliced (optional) I enjoyed the burger with the beet bacon slices, ketchup and mayo. If you want something fancier, consider the ingredients labeled “optional”.



Take your clean swiss chard leaf and lay it flat on a plate. Place the burger in the middle and top evenly with the beet bacon slices. Add any of the optional ingredients you are choosing to use. Top with a squeeze of ketchup and a dollop of vegan mayo. Close the leaf edges in around the burger to wrap the burger inside the swiss chard. Serve immediately.

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

(gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, vegan) Recipe Courtesy of Baking Backwards and Danielle Dewar. Part I: 1 can unsalted black beans

1/2 cup quinoa flakes Add to food processor and pulse to distribute. Part II:

1/2 cup grated chiogga beet

1/2 tsp hickory smoked sea salt

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp vegenaise

1 tsp flax meal

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp maca

1 beta carotene capsule

1 tbsp organic ketchup

1/8 cup water

2 stalks of chives Add to food processor and blend until smooth. Part III:

1/4 cup grated chiogga beets Add to the mix and pulse to distribute. Use a tbsp to form patties and flatten onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in oven preheated to 360F until firm. Grill on barbecue or finish cooking in oven.

Small Batch Beet Bacon Makes enough beet bacon for 1-2 burgers (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free) Recipe Courtesy of Baking Backwards and Danielle Dewar.

Part I:



¼ - ½ chiogga beet, peeled and sliced into thin bacon size pieces 1/2 tsp kelp flakes

1/2 tsp garlic sea salt

¼ tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp hickory smoked sea salt, I use Durango from Just a Pinch

¼- ½ tsp vegenaise

½ tsp raw maca powder Preheat oven to 350F. Mix beet slices and all other ingredients together in a small bowl to coat the slices evenly Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in oven preheated to 360F until shriveled and lightly brown around the edges. Be careful, these can burn easily.

I enjoy the beet bacon as they are after Part I, my husband prefers them after Part II



Part II: OPTIONAL ½ tsp ground sumac

1 tsp neutral oil of choice (olive, coconut, grapeseed, chili oil etc)

Baked Beet Bacon slices Grab a non-stick frying pan. Heat your oil to sizzling over medium heat in the pan. Add the beet slices and allow them to cook on one side, sprinkling the sumac over the top of the slices. After a few minutes you will see that the slices start to blister like real bacon does and caramelize slightly. Once they look blistered, flip them and do the same to the other side. Serve immediately.



