"What's in your veggie patty?" -- the first question I ask before ordering a veggie burger at restaurants. Finding a good veggie burger is like a dream come true. Mainly because I'm not a fan of the patties made with fake meat. I know those things are like the holy grail for the people that have given up eating meat but I simply can't come to terms with it. No, not gonna happen. Yes, I used to eat meat but I certainly don't miss it. I'm content with a good bean-y patty. Hence, came forth this recipe and this other recipe.

This patty was a culmination of ideas from Pinterest and brainstorming variations with my sister, Dhanvi...aka the mini mess I make. She was the main chef behind these gorgeous patties and I was the taste tester, problem fixer, supervisor and photographer. We ran into some issues with the patties not holding up so we added more bread crumbs and we'll definitely remember to dry the beans prior to mashing them next time. We overcame the mishaps and loved how fresh and light these patties turned out. And lets not forget how healthy these are!

Ingredients

1 16 oz cannellini beans or white kidney beans - dry thoroughly
1/2 cup peas - if you're using frozen peas, boil them
1 medium carrot -cut in 1 inch pieces
1/4 onion - cut in 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp crushed red pepper, adjust according to your taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, adjust according to your taste
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt, adjust according to your taste
3/4-1 cup bread crumbs + 1/2 cup to coat the patties - in case your patty mixture doesn't hold up, keep extra bread crumbs handy and just add it to the mixture and try again.

Steps

Dry the beans, peas and carrots thoroughly on paper towels. This will prevent the patty mixture from getting too soggy.
Put the beans, peas, carrot, onion, sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, black pepper, lemon juice, salt in a food processor and pulse 3-4 times or until everything is well incorporated. Make sure you don't pulse too much or the mixture will get mushy and it will become difficult to form the patties.
Transfer the mixture in a mixing bowl and add 3/4 c bread crumbs and mix well. Add more until you have a moldable consistency.
Make 4 inch wide patties with 1 inch thickness (or whichever size you prefer). Dip each patty in the remaining bread crumbs and coat each side.
Heat a ceramic non-stick pan on medium heat. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil or cooking spray and cook the patties for ~5 minutes on each side or until they're golden brown and crispy.
Serve with Sriracha Aoili (recipe below) and flavored soda.

Prep time 20-30 mins | Cooking time 10-15 minutes | Serves 5-6

Sriracha Aoili

Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp Sriracha
1 garlic clove - minced
1 pinch of salt

Steps

Press the minced garlic and pinch of salt with the flat side of a chef's knife to make a paste.
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. You could also choose to put all ingredients in a blender to get a smoother consistency but as long as the garlic is minced fine enough, you should be ok.

My sister, Dhanvi, and I.