I made these delicious veggie burgers after obtaining them from Jillian Ehrenberg of From Scratch Club at a Saratoga Food Swap. I made them for, what my friends now refer to as, THE infamous camping trip, and they were a huge hit (at least for those of us that were not dependent on Animal flesh *Cough* Cough* ALICE Cough* Cough*). I did alter the recipe slightly as I didn't have all the ingredients on hand and didn't feel like driving an hour to the CoOp to get them. (I've listed those changes in red below). I hope that you all enjoy them as much as I have.
Get your ingredients together:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup coarsley chopped green onions/scallions
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 lb swiss chard leaves, stems removed, coarsley chopped (about 2 packed cups)
2 teaspoons tamari/soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 cup prepared Bulgur (soak 1/2 cup bulgur in 1 cup water for 30-40 minutes or until soft)
I didn't have Bulgur so I used 1 cup black beans, cooked & mashed
1/2 cup pecans
1 3/4 cups bread crumbs/ rice chex for gluten free version
salt and pepper
Now make the burgers:
Heat the oil in skillet or wok; cook the garlic until golden.
Add onions, mushrooms, chard, tamari and rice vinegar. Cook, covered, until the vegetables are softened.
Toast the pecans in the oven and let them cool. Pace them in a food processor with the blade attachment or in a coffee grinder. Pulse to process until coarsely ground.
Place the vegetable mixture, ground pecans and the bulgur (black beans) in the food processor or blender; pulse several times until well blended.
Scrape everything into a large bowl and add bread crumbs (rice chex) in 1/2 cup increments. Mix with a spoon or your hands until all ingredients are thoroughly combined, adding more bread crumbs as needed. Note: I add some bread crumbs, mix, and let the mixture sit for a few minutes before adding more bread crumbs. Too many bread crumbs will result in dry, hard burgers, and it’s better to add too few than too many bread crumbs.
Form patties 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. Pan fry in a smidge of oil, keeping the burgers covered with either a lid or a splatter screen. Fry ‘em up until one side is browned, then flip them over. Voila! You have yourself a veggie burger! If you’re grilling outdoors, these withstand the grill quite well.
Serving suggestions: on whole wheat bun or a top an enormous salad with a wedge of focaccia bread on the side.
