Valentine’s Day has come and gone with all the world abuzz with red. Red roses, red hearts, red candy, the list could go on and on. But red isn’t the personal domain of this one holiday. February is also American Heart month and we can celebrate with red plant foods. They are a great way to show some much needed TLC to our hearts.
Red plant foods are loaded with antioxidants like lycopene and anthocyanins that may do everything from fighting heart disease and prostate cancer to decreasing the risk for stroke and macular degeneration. Here’s just a sampling of the power packed in so many red foods:
- CHERRIES–rich in the antioxidant anthocyanin (good for reducing inflammation), cherries can give protection for many diseases, including diabetes, arthritis and gout.
- POMEGRANATE–Studies have shown that this red fruit may help to reduce the build up of plaque in arteries and to lower blood pressure.
- RED BELL PEPPERS–The capsaicin in bell peppers has multiple health benefits. Studies show that it reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol, controls diabetes, brings relief from pain and eases inflammation.
- TOMATOES – Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that fights skin aging and may be beneficial against cancer and heart disease.
But today, I want to zoom in on beets, a wonderful food we can enjoy all year long. Beets can help prevent cardiovascular diseases in a multiple of ways so conditions like atherosclerosis, heart attacks and stroke are less likely to develop. Beet fiber helps reduce cholesterol and triglycerides by increasing the level of good HDL cholesterol. Having a high level of triglycerides increases the risk for heart-related problems, so an increased HDL cholesterol is a good line of defense against that. The presence of the nutrient betaine lowers the levels of homocysteine in the body which can also be harmful to the blood vessels. The fiber in beets also works to strip excess LDL cholesterol from the walls and helps eliminate it from the body quickly.
So how about some Beet Burgers to take advantage of all that heart-smart power?
Have you ever had beets in a burger? They can turn your patties all shades of red, depending how many beets are in the mix and whether they are raw, roasted or canned. I used a can of sliced beets from Kroger for these beet burgers but I think roasted would be even better.
I started out by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Then I drained and rinsed a 15 ounce can of garbanzos and a can of beets of the same size. Into the food processor they went, along with a medium onion, chopped in small pieces and 3 garlic cloves, also coarsely chopped. I processed these until I couldn’t see any bits of onion or garlic. It made a lovely fuchsia colored mix. So sweet to my red-lovin’ heart! The mixture was spooned into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
At this point it is a wet mixture, so binding it into a soft burger came next. My favorite binder is oats, so I added 1 cup of rolled oats (we use a thick rolled oats variety by Bob’s Red Mill) but I think an old-fashioned variety would do just as well. It was still too wet, so I also added 1 cup of quick oats. After mixing this all together, the right consistency for a burger was coming together.
I also like to use onion powder and nutritional yeast flakes to help in the binding process, so in went 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes and 2 tablespoons of onion powder. Other seasonings were then added—1/4 cup of dried parsley, 1 tablespoon of ground sage, 1 tablespoon of dried basil and 1 teaspoon of salt.
The mixture was clumping and holding together—just the way I like it. So I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, formed my burgers, and laid them on the sheet. I ended up with a dozen hearty and zesty burgers. They were baked in the hot oven for 30-35 minutes. I baked the 1st side for close to 20 minutes, flipped them over and allowed the second side to bake for 15 minutes. They were ready to eat when they felt dry to touch and a little crusty on the edges.
And when we bit in, they were just right—crusty on the outside and chewy and tender (though not mushy) on the inside—just what a burger ought to be!
You could serve these in a bun, if desired, along with your favorite plant-based fixings such as onions, tomatoes and greens. But we ate them like an entree, along with our two sides of rice with mushrooms and our red and orange vegetables. Let me know which way you like them best! Happy heart-smart cooking!
1 burger is 1 serving.
Per serving: 129 calories, 1 gram fat, 7 grams protein, 198 mg sodium.
VALENTINE BURGERS
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can of garbanzos
- 15 ounce can of beets unsalted or 2 cups of roasted beets
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 T onion powder
- 1/4 cup dried parsley
- 1 T ground sage
- 1 T dried basil
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Drain and rinse a can of garbanzos. Drain a can of beets.
- Process the garbanzos, beets, chopped onion, and garlic cloves until you can no longer see bits of onion or garlic. It should make a wonderful fuschia colored batter.
- Spoon out the mixture into a bowl; add the 2 kinds of oats, nutritional yeast flakes, and the seasonings.The batter should be clumping and holding together though still moist.
- Form the batter into patties or burgers. Lay them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 400 degrees for a total of 30 to 35 minutes. Bake them for 20 minutes on the first side, then flip them over with a fork or spatula and bake the second side for 15 minutes. They are ready to eat when the top feel dry and the burgers are a little crusty along the edges.
- Serve them plain as a major entree or you can put them in a bun and serve with your favorite sandwich fixings such as sliced tomatoes, onions, and greens. They are great with a side of brown rice, baked potato or a hearty salad.
