Garden Burgers

Lately my life has been filled with studying for organic chemistry, but when I manage to get a break I decide to create something new, thus these garden burgers that remind me there is more to life than reactions of alkenes. Orgo. is interesting nevertheless and I do feel fortunate to be required to take this for my major. There is so much out there to acknowledge and understand and orgo. is another one of those things to conquer.

Moving forward, I recently joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) from a local farm in Alachua county. The greens were so good I wanted to cry. I’ll be doing a post on this, but I cannot stress enough the rewarding feeling from supporting local farms. The most excellent tasting, and nutritious produce will come from somewhere you can easily visit.

Utilizing these local ingredients, I incorporated some of my favorite food items (quinoa, sweet potato, fresh basil) into a veggie patty. These are very versatile and I would give two thumbs up to making a creation of your own. Stick to wholesome and nutritious ingredients and I feel as if you cannot go wrong.

Makes 6-10 patties, depending on size

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas (preferably no salt added or low sodium) OR 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup cooked sweet potato

2 cups greens (I used a local spring mix)

1/2 cup oat flour

2 tbsp almond butter (no sugar added, and no salt added for the sodium conscious)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or other oil of choice)

2 tbsp red wine (use more balsamic vinegar instead if you don’t have/are underage, or just omit)

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup pecans

1 egg

1/2-3/4 cup of favorite cheese (optional, but recommended)

various spices to please your palate, now’s the time to show off your master chef powers

(I used 1/4 cup fresh basil, 3 garlic cloves, red pepper flakes and black pepper)

Directions:

1. Add chickpeas and sweet potato to food processor and blend a bit until ingredients are broken down.

2. Add rest of the ingredients except quinoa, pecans, and cheese and process until all is blended and a smooth texture is achieved.

3. Add in quinoa, pecans, and cheese and pulse lightly just to combine. The purpose of this is to maintain the crunchiness of the pecans, texture of the quinoa, as well as to provide a more dominant flavor to the cheese (plus yummy melty cheesy spots).

4. Store mixture in refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until batter has chilled. You could probably omit this step, but I did it so I’ll include it here. If you’re having issues molding the batter, then chilling it could possibly help.

5. Take batter out of fridge and mold into patties. The batter may stick to your hands, but just do your best to plop these into a patty-like shape onto the skillet. You can form a circular shape with the spatula and they will have a better form once cooked. Perhaps an ice-cream scoop would be useful here..

6. Cook on a skillet at medium-medium/high for about 4-6 minutes on each side or until tops are browned and insides are cooked.

I tried cooking these patties in the following: sesame oil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine, and they were all really yummy. Depending on what you use with the patty, the coloration will vary.

My burgers cooked in balsamic vinegar were a lot darker, but tasted delightful. 7. Serve with preferable accompaniments and eat.

8. Store leftovers (if any) in air-tight container in the fridge.

These would be great to reheat in a toaster oven. Getting the outside crispy and inside warm.

:–)