This recipe has what seems like a long list of ingredients. Most home-made garden burgers are a combination of many things, but this one pays tribute to any leftover grilled vegetables from the weekend cookout. If leftovers generally are not your thing, don't worry. Transformed into a garden burger, yesterday's meal becomes a protein, fiber, and flavor-packed lunch, dinner or snack. They freeze well, and can turn those late-summer/early-fall vegetables into weeks of delicious, quick meals.
Ingredients:
½ Cup dry green lentils, cooked with vegetable broth until soft. Discard extra cooking liquid
½ Cup dry quinoa, cooked with vegetable broth according to packet directions until light & fluffy
½ Cup fresh brown breadcrumbs (toast until dry, and then grind in a blender)
½ lb Zephyr squash or zucchini, sliced, brushed with oil, seasoned with salt, and grilled
½ lb Eggplant, sliced, brushed with oil, seasoned with salt, and grilled
½ lb Golden beets or carrots, finely chopped in a food processor
1 Bunch beet greens or spinach, chopped
1 Medium-large yellow onion, finely chopped in a food processor
5-6 Cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 Fire roasted Italian sweet peppers, (red, yellow or orange) peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 Large tomato, diced
Juice from one lemon
1 tsp Alchemy Spice Kitchen Karma herb blend
1 tsp Kosher salt
¼ Cup olive oil
2 Eggs
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Chop the grilled squash and eggplant. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. The mixture will be quite soft, but should not be too watery. Add more breadcrumbs if necessary to absorb some of the excess liquid. Form into balls (about 1/3 cup), place on the lined baking sheet, then press gently to flatten into a patty shape. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Cool completely before freezing. Recipe makes about 20 burgers.
Serve on a toasted bun with pesto or whole grain French mustard, lettuce, tomato, and your favorite cheese (optional). Freeze extras in freezer bags. Reheat in a toaster oven or microwave.
