Thursday, April 5, 2012

Pinto Patties w/Mango Chutney

I got the inspiration for this dinner from a meal I used to eat in my pre-veg days.  I used to think that eating ground turkey was healthier than eating ground beef, so I made turkey burgers with chutney quite often.   I can't exactly remember how I made the chutney, I think it was peach and not mango, but I do remember using refined sugar.  Since I had a mango and some dates hanging around, as well as leftover cooked brown rice and pinto beans, I decided to figure out a way to 'veganize' that former favorite of mine.

There are many ways to make chutney, but I like mine more on the sweeter side, so that's what you'll find with this recipe.  You can tailor the ingredients to suit your own taste.  


Mango Chutney
Ingredients
1 medium mango (not quite ripe yet)
1 cup dates, pits removed
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 + 1/4 cup water


Directions:
For "date paste": Soak dates in water for 10-15 minutes.  Add to processor/blender with 1/4 cup water and blend until smooth.   Set aside.

Remove skin from mango (I used a potato peeler).  Slice & chop mango into small chunks.  Set aside.

Heat 3 quart sauce pan over medium heat.  Add mango, date paste, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 cup water.  Stir to combine and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to simmer, add chopped walnuts and mix to combine.  Cover and cook 45-60 minutes, until it thickens.  (Mine took the full 60 minutes to thicken nicely and for the mango to soften up).

Store leftovers in air tight container in fridge.

 Date Paste

Chopped Mango 
(next time I might chop it a bit smaller)

Chutney Cooking on stove-top

Using dates to sweeten this up in place of refined sugar worked perfectly.  I liked my blend of spices too, but as I mentioned above, feel free to experiment with what you prefer.  


Pinto Patties
(makes 6 patties)
Ingredients
16oz pinto beans, cooked
1 cup leftover, cooked brown rice
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
*1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp water)
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp water

*any egg replacer should do if you don't have flax

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

For the "flax egg":  Combine 1 tbsp flax with 3 tbsp water.  Whisk until combined and set aside.  The longer you let it sit, the thicker the mixture will get, which is good.

Place pinto beans in food processor/blender with a touch of water and pulse until slightly mashed. (Don't over-process as you don't want complete mush, some chunks are okay).

Heat 1 tsp water in small pan.  Saute onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until softened.

In mixing bowl, combine beans, brown rice, bread crumbs, sauteed onions & garlic,  salt, pepper and flax egg mixture.   Form into 6 patties.  

Line baking sheet with parchment paper, bake patties for 30-40 minutes, until crisp and golden on top. 

I served this on a bread machine hard roll, with some baked potato wedges and steamed broccoli on the side.  





This was really reminiscent of the turkey burger.  Of course it didn't taste like turkey but then again, I don't think the ground turkey ever did either.  ;)  It had a similar look and consistency though.  It went very well with the mango chutney too.


Just keep in mind that I made the pinto patties specifically to be topped with the mango chutney, so I'm not sure how well it would go as just a "burger" with traditional toppings.


Enjoy! :)

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