The Best Toppings To Consider To Elevate Vegan Black Bean Burgers

From msn.com

Just because vegans don't eat beef doesn't mean they can't enjoy a satisfying burger. Despite revolutionary brands like Impossible and Beyond that mimic the taste of their carnivorous counterparts, black bean burgers are the original plant-based options that don't try to be anything else. They're earthy with a hint of umami from soy sauce and expanded with savoury, spicy seasonings like cumin, paprika, cayenne, garlic, and onions. If you're wondering what to pair with the aromatic profile of a black bean burger, we've consulted an expert on vegan cooking to supply you with satisfying ideas. 

In an interview with Tasting Table, vegan recipe developer and cookbook author Remy Park gave us a veritable buffet of toppings to pair with black bean burgers from store-bought staples to more sophisticated scratch-made garnishes. Avocados are first on her list "because it adds a creamy element and a richness especially to a vegan burger." You can smash them and spread them across a toasted bun like mayonnaise.

Avocados are buttery and creamy, but "something pickled is always great, whether it be pickles themselves or pickled red onions" to bring a pop of sour crunch to complement the savoury and tender bite of black bean burgers." Park saves the best for last with an elegant and decadent labour of love. "My personal favourite is caramelized onions because they add so much flavour," she said.

                                                     Black bean burger with sweet potato fries     © Kert/Shutterstock

More Toppings And Spreads For Vegan Black Burgers

You can take Park's recommendations by topping your black bean burger with avocados, caramelized onions, and pickles, but there are plenty of vegan spreads and other underrated ingredients to add on. Caramelized onions, for example, could use a savoury pairing like meaty, umami-rich sauteed mushrooms or a spicy, smoky complement like roasted poblano or bell peppers.

Avocados and black beans are native to the Americas and are important ingredients in Mexican cuisine. So you could build upon their Mexican origins by adding more native Mexican crops to your burger. You can slather on this recipe for vegan chipotle mayo or swap pickles for pickled jalapeños. Make a corn and cilantro relish with cherry tomatoes for a fresh, crunchy pairing for avocado. Instead of plain avocado, you could spread this crave-worthy guacamole with the onions, tomatoes, and cilantro already built in. Cilantro pesto is another great Mexican-inspired spread that'll take your black bean burger to the next level.

If you're grilling black bean burgers, you can take advantage of that extra grate space by cooking more toppings alongside them. If you don't have time to caramelize onions, you can brown them over the grill with some jalapeños and pineapple rings. For a lazy, yet ingenious toppings, add crunchy, earthy potato chips to your burgers. Barbecue or jalapeño-flavoured chips would be especially good!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/recipes/the-best-toppings-to-consider-to-elevate-vegan-black-bean-burgers/ar-AA1q2MpP

Vegan Italian pulls off the most amazing dairy-free cheeses

From euronews.com

On a street full of fusion concepts including a Korean/Italian joint, few are more surprising than a vegan Italian. Enter Picky Wops. Serving pizza topped with cheeze in place of cheese, egg-free pasta, creamy tiramisu without a hint of dairy and antipasto. It’s a revolutionary concept as a conscious eatery without a salad in sight.

The eatery’s second bricks and mortar location is a new fixture on London’s Brick Lane, cementing the brand’s strategy initiated in its Brixton set up of partnering with other businesses to establish a kitchen while its partner takes care of the front of house. The move creates a unique environment for each location with a very different vibe ranging from pub to coffee house.

              Its garlicky dough balls feature a generous dollop of oozing dairy-free garlic butter.                                                                                Euronews / Rosie Frost

The plant-based pizzeria has added a whole lot more for its Brick Lane location, bringing in new dishes with meat alternatives from This, which provide crucial toppings to its chicken-style BBQ pizza and meat, egg and dairy-free take on carbonara.

Picky Wops has been a regular fixture at street markets and food festivals across the capital for the past three years. In that time, its chefs have worked out how to pull off the most difficult of feats, not one but two delicious vegan cheese alternatives. The parmesan alternative topping its chips and pastas is completely devoid of the overpowering smell accompanying many vegan cheeses, while its pizza topping melts and pulls without sticking like many on the scene.

      Realistic toppings for the BBQ chicken pizza come courtesy of This. Euronews / Rosie Frost

Not just that but its pizzas are available with a wide variety of doughs. The rainbow of colours, textures and flavours in its burnt wheat, multigrain and turmeric bases – in addition to the original – are the only overt nod to health in this diner.

Meanwhile its range of toppings has some perfectly recreated meat alternatives, with a BBQ chicken-style affair courtesy of This or pepperoni-esque pieces. If pizza isn’t your thing, there are a range of tasty pasta dishes – its carbonara is dangerously close to the real thing – as well as garlic bread, dough balls and loaded fries that are all 100% vegan. Its dough balls feature generous helpings of dairy-free garlic butter almost indistinguishable from the real thing, while its placement atop the dough balls means it oozes into the bottom of the bowl for mopping up later on.

               This carbonara tastes dangerously close to the real thing.Euronews/Rosie Frost

This is the perfect place for a casual lunch or dinner with friends of all dietary requirements. Even those looking to moderate their alcohol consumption will find something for them on its drinks menu teeming with booze-free cocktails.

Euronews Living visited the Picky Wops branch on Brick Lane. For more information on locations, bookings and menu, visit pickywops.com.

https://www.euronews.com/living/2020/03/07/review-vegan-italian-pulls-off-the-most-amazing-dairy-free-cheeses