Protein, fiber, and pungent polyphenols abound in this tasty dish that’s good for your gut, heart, brain, and more:

You will need

• 2 cans (each 14 oz or thereabouts) black beans, drained and rinsed (or: 2 cups black beans, cooked, drained, and rinsed)
• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
• 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 can (14 oz or thereabouts) chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ bulb garlic, crushed
• 1″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 fresh red chili (or multiply per your preference and the strength of your chilis), finely chopped
• 1 tbsp black pepper, coarse ground
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Preheat the oven to 400℉ / 200℃.

2) Toss the squash and cauliflower in a little olive oil, to coat evenly. No need to worry about seasoning, because these are going into the curry later and will get plenty there.

3) Roast them on a baking tray lined with baking paper for about 25 minutes.

You can enjoy a 10-minute break for the first 10 minutes of that, before continuing, such that the timing will be perfect:

4) Heat a little oil in a sauté pan (or anything that’s suitable for both frying and adding volume; we’re going to be using the space later; everything is going in here!) and fry the onion on medium for about 5 minutes, stirring well.

5) Add the spices/seasonings, including the garlic, ginger, and chili, and stir well to combine.

6) Add the tomatoes, beans, and coconut milk, and simmer for 10 minutes. You can add a little water at any time if it seems to need it.

7) Stir in the roasted vegetables (they should be finished now), and heat through. Add the lemon juice and stir.

8) Serve as-is, or with your preferred carbohydrate (we recommend our Tasty Versatile Rice recipe), or if you have time, keep it warm for a while until you’re ready to use it (the flavors will benefit from this time, if available).

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Chickpeas vs Black Beans – Which is Healthier?
• Butternut Squash vs Pumpkin – Which is Healthier?
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← 5/5 today!

Take care!

Burgers are often not considered the healthiest food, but they can be! Ok, so the teriyaki sauce component itself isn’t the healthiest, but the rest of this recipe is, and with all the fiber this contains, it’s a net positive healthwise, even before considering the protein, vitamins, minerals, and assorted phytonutrients.

You will need

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups of chickpeas, cooked drained and rinsed)
• ¼ cup chickpea flour (also called gram flour or garbanzo bean flour)
• ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp almond butter (if allergic, substitute with a seed butter if available, or else just omit; do not substitute with actual butter—it will not work)
• ½ bulb garlic, minced
• 1 large chili, minced (your choice what kind, color, or even whether or multiply it)
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1″ piece of ginger, grated
• 2 tsp teriyaki sauce (we’re listing this separately from the ¼ cup above as that’ll be used differently)
• 1 tsp yeast extract (even if you don’t like it; trust us, it’ll work—this writer doesn’t like it either but uses it regularly in recipes like these)
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fennel powder
• ½ tsp sweet cinnamon
• ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
• Extra virgin olive oil for frying

For serving:

• Burger buns (you can use our Delicious Quinoa Avocado Bread recipe)
• Whatever else you want in there; we recommend mung bean sprouts, red onion, and a nice coleslaw

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Preheat the oven to 400℉ / 200℃.

2) Roast the chickpeas spaced out on a baking tray (lined with baking paper) for about 15 minutes. Leave the oven on afterwards; we still need it.

3) While that’s happening, heat a little oil in a skillet to a medium heat and fry the shallot, chili, garlic, and ginger, for about 2–3 minutes. You want to release the flavors, but not destroy them.

4) Let them cool, and when the chickpeas are done, let them cool for a few minutes too, before putting them all into a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients from the main section, except the oil and the ¼ cup teriyaki sauce. Process them into a dough.

5) Form the dough into patties; you should have enough dough for 4–6 patties depending on how big you want them.

6) Brush them with the teriyaki sauce; turn them onto a baking tray (lined with baking paper) and brush the other side too. Be generous.

7) Bake them for about 15 minutes, turn them (taking the opportunity to add more teriyaki sauce if it seems to merit it) and bake for another 5–10 minutes.

8) Assemble; we recommend the order: bun, a little coleslaw, burger, red onion, more coleslaw, mung bean sprouts, bun, but follow your heart!

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Three Daily Servings of Beans/Legumes?
• Hoisin Sauce vs Teriyaki Sauce – Which is Healthier?
• Sprout Your Seeds, Grains, Beans, Etc
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← we scored 4/5 today!
• Monosodium Glutamate: Sinless Flavor-Enhancer Or Terrible Health Risk?

Take care!