Wednesday: Planet Veggie Burgers on a Bed of Lettuce

 

I spent four wonderful college years at Humboldt State in California, and that is where my love for Vegeterian/Vegan cooking started. The people there are very "crunchy granola." That's what my friend calls people who live the "hippie lifestyle." 

It's very surreal when you drive through Humboldt County; you will see people in dread locks, tie die shirts, Birkenstocks, and VW buses
(that were probably made in the 60's). For those of you that are Vegans or Vegetarians, Humboldt County is where you will find some of the BEST vegetarian/vegan cooking. 

Here are some of my favorite veggie burgers. They hold their shape really well (a big problem with most veggie burger recipes) and have kind of a nutty flavor to them.  Once you've prepped all the ingredients, they are super duper easy to make. Give them a try! For those of you watching your carbs, place them on a bed of lettuce, sprinkle some shredded cucumber and carrot on top and drizzle yogurt mixed with italian dressing. Scrumptious!

Planet Veggie Burger Recipe
Serves: 9 Prep: 20-30 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes
 

3 cups brown rice, cooked and cooled
12 oz chickpeas, cooked and mashed
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 eggs
4 oz red or adzuki beans, cooked and mashed
1 medium carrot, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup ground almonds, almond flour or breadcrumbs
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and unsalted
1/3 cup parsley, dried (I used 2/3 cups fresh parsley)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 eggs
1 tsp thyme, dried
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

1. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into 9 1/2 inch patties. Freeze for about 15-20 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper (this holds their shape better, you can try a couple of patties without freezing them just to see if they stay together).
2. Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Cook patties in skillet 4-5 minutes on each side or until browned on outside and cooked all the way through. Use wide spatula to flip burgers; they can be fragile. Have too much brown rice mixture? Shape them into patties and then freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, place in zip lock-freezer bag. Don't need to defrost. Just put them on skillet, and heat up.

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Plan and Prep Ahead 

Here are some helpful techniques to make life a little easier once dinner time hits. These tips will especially help those that work full-time and don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner. 

~Make rice ahead of time.
~Chop veggies ahead of time and keep in fridge until time of use. 
~Stir all ingredients together, and leave bowl covered in refrigerator until time of use.

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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

~Instead of red beans try black or white beans. 
~Instead of parsley try cilantro.
~Try pumpkin seeds versus sunflower seeds.
~Add a couple shakes of chili powder to add a little punch. 
~Sprinkle 1 tsp smoked paprika to give it a bit of a smoky flavor.

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