Beet Burgers

I haven't made many veggie burger recipes. I was on the lookout for a really good one though. I try to eat a plant-based diet, instead of a meat-replaced vegetarian diet. In other words, I don't like to eat a lot of processed soy products, like most burgers out there. I recently got Color Me Vegan, by Colleen Patrick-Goureau. The beet burger was one of the first recipes in her cookbook that caught my eye. I've been juicing beets a lot lately and had a bunch lying in the fridge. Why not turn some into burgers? 

Alongside the burgers, I made homemade fries. I simply cut them into wedges, placed them on a baking sheet, lightly drizzled them with EVOO, coarse salt, cracked pepper, and crushed garlic. Yummy!

Beet Burgers

2 C. grated beets (about 2 large beets)
1 1/2 C. cooked bulgur wheat (or quinoa or millet)
1 C. sunflower seeds, toasted
1/2 C. sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 C. onion, minced
1/2 C. breadcrumbs
1/4 C. oil
3 T. all-purpose flour
3 T. fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2-3 T. tamari soy sauce
1/4 t. cayenne pepper, or to taste
salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
 In a large bowl, combine the grated beets, bulgur, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, onion, bread crumbs, oil, flour, parsley, garlic, tamari, and cayenne. Add salt to taste.
 At this point, test if you can create a patty that will stay together. These are definitely softer-type burgers, but you should still be able to form a patty with no problem. If it still falls apart, add a little more bulgur or flour until you have a firm patty that won't fall apart while cooking/baking.
 Continue forming uniform-size patties. You can make them a little bulky and get 12 patties  out of them. You can also make them a little smaller and less dense. 
 Bake for 25 minutes or until firm. Carefully flip halfway during the cooking time.
 Should make 10-12 burgers. You can also fry them in a pan with a little olive oil instead of baking. 

These burgers have a delicious taste, and texture. I found that they cooked better in the oven. It seemed like the inside wasn't getting cooked, so I threw them in the oven for until they looked right. I froze the rest in separate sandwich bags. They freeze perfectly and still taste excellent when cooked again in a skillet. Give it a try. Have some friends over before summer is over. Make some shirley temples. Turn up the music. And don't forget the pickles:) My favorite is Claussen, in the refrigerated section. Yum.

Love, 

Chef Teebs :)