I have always loved a good salad. Here is my lunch from the other day.
One big fat salad.
Great mental note to myself here.... Use the meat sub (Smart Bacon) as an accent to a dish and don't try to make it the main ingredient.
Now for a real recipe. Carrot and Beet burgers.
I got this recipe from Emily. She is a Matador customer, and a flat out fantastic person.
Here is her recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups peeled grated beets (1-2 medium beets)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)
1/2 cup minced onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley (or cilantro)
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Butter or oil for greasing the baking sheet.
Directions
1. Cook the brown rice.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking sheet spray cooking oil.
3.
Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and
stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3
to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately
remove from heat and transfer the toasted seeds to a dish to cool.
4.
Return the skillet to the heat. Add the sunflower seeds and stir them
on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5
minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately transfer
them to the dish with the sesame seeds.
Use
a Cuisinart! Do the beets and carrots first then transfer to a bowl and bleed
with the soy sauce. drain liquid after a while then add a little
additional soy sauce and then add oil. Meanwhile, rinse Cuisinart and
do garlic, then onion, then cilantro (or parsley) and then transfer to
drained carrot/beets.
5.
Combine the beets, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the
toasted sunflower and sesame seeds, eggs, rice, cheddar cheese, oil,
flour, parsley, soy sauce or tamari, and garlic. Add cayenne and mix
until thoroughly combined. (add flour one tablespoon at a time).
6. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 patties and arrange them in rows on the baking sheet.
7. Bake the patties until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Flip at 20 and let cook 5 more minutes on the other side.
Makes 12 patties.
I followed her recipe exactly. Well, almost. I did four times the amount of cayenne powder. I wanted a little more pop. I can't help it. I need the heat. I used cilantro instead of parsley. Lastly, I used a Cheddar/Jack blend for the cheese. I don't think any of my substitutes would make a difference in the over all recipe.
I topped it off with some Creamy Swiss Cheese. A side of vegetarian baked beans and dinner was served.
I had a little bit of trouble cooking the patties, but nothing I couldn't handle. I ended up with 9 burgers instead of 12 so I had to cook them a little bit longer. It wasn't a big deal, but that was the only snag I came across. Better portions next time and it isn't a problem.
The final result was great. While making this, my mind was racing with new ideas. This recipe is wide open for twists and turns. You can just about add anything your heart desires to this base recipe. Just like the Sloppy Joes from last week, you can take this recipe and play. That is exactly what I was hoping for. Recipes I could just use what I had on hand and goof off.
Diced Jalapenos
Quinoa
smart bacon bits (must be amazing)
BBQ sauce
Emily suggested topping it with avocado and pepper jack cheese or fresh mozzarella.
You could just about do any burger idea on these. Mushroom Swiss, Smothered Green Chili, Bacon Cheese burger, fried egg, or whatever. Hit your favorite burger place and steal some ideas. My favorite burger place is Stuft. I just pulled up their online menu and the list of ideas is endless.
Make it vegan by skipping the egg and cheese. Maybe toss in some cashew cheese instead of the egg to help bind it.
It would be very easy to make it gluten free. I always use corn flour instead of wheat flour anyway. It gives everything a new layer of flavor. Skip the soy sauce and go for tamari, kill the bun and BINGO! You have gluten free dinner.
So, not only is this recipe a good meal, it is also a great starting place if you want to get a little crazy and try some new stuff. I'm not a big fan of beets. They always seem to have a little to much of an "earthy" taste them. I was a little hesitant to try it but Emily really sold me on it. I wasn't disappointed.
You should make sure you have some latex or vinyl gloves on hand before you make this. Working with beets stains your skin. It looked like I butchered a herd of farm animals when I was done.
The delivery driver from Ft Collins Brewery (Justin) is starting his own hot sauce business. He has a Beet and Jalapeno hot sauce that he let us try. It was really good. We have a bottle of it behind the line at Matador. If you want to give it a try, let us know. We would love to share. With any luck, he will be in full production very soon. I will make sure to promote his business on our Facebook page when he is up and running.
One funny side note.... The Matador softball team played against the Stuft softball team tonight. It was a really fun game and even better because we won. Sorry, Stuft.
I have a hot enchilada recipe in my back pocket that I will cook next. Stay tuned.
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