Harvest Burgers and Homemade Fries

The Detroit Free Press had a recipe in the paper a few weeks ago for these burgers and Brian and I made them last week.  Although a little time-consuming, they were not hard to put together.  We modified the recipe just slightly, using a sweet onion instead of a yellow onion and baking them instead of frying them in a pan.  

They are certainly some of the more flavorful burgers we've made, thanks in large part to the pepper and onion.  We topped them with lettuce and tomato and they were pretty good that way, though we felt they could have used some kind of sauce.  We just weren't sure what and they were really good on their own.  We didn't want to ruin them by adding the wrong flavor.  Maybe some mashed avocado?

Brian made some awesome fries to go with the burgers.  We adjusted the baking time and temperature so that the burgers and fries could bake together.  It worked out perfectly!

Harvest Burgers with Homemade Fries

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 sweet onion (such as Vidalia), diced
1 red pepper, cored and diced
1/2 cup corn kernals, fresh or frozen
1 cup cooked brown rice (I used brown basmati)
1 cup quick oats, lightly toasted
15-oz. can pumpkin or squash puree
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

6 burger buns or large rolls
Condiments of choice

Directions:

1.  Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the cumin and onion and saute until the onion softens and begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the pepper and corn and saute until just tender, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

3. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and cool for 5 minutes.  Add the rice, oats, pumpkin, cilantro, balsamic, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Form the mixture into 6 patties.

4. When the oven is preheated, place patties on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Flip burgers and bake for another 15 minutes. 

Makes 6 burgers.

Homemade Fries

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

2 medium baking potatoes

Olive oil spray

Salt and pepper

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.

2. Scrub potatoes and dry.  Cut into fries as evenly as possible.  Lay in single layer on prepared baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 20 minutes.  Flip and bake for another 10 or until browned and crisp.

Makes 2-3 servings.

We also had a side of sauteed collard greens.

What's your favorite veg burger recipe?

Black bean burgers

Last weekend I made the easiest, most delicious black bean burgers I've ever eaten!  I got the recipe from Sherry over at Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe.  I followed the recipe with her modifications, although I used parsley instead of cilantro.  To blend all the ingredients, I used my Vita-Mix, being careful not to turn the mixture into black bean soup.  

The only thing I adjusted was the baking temperature and time because I was also making sweet potato chips.  I baked them at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, then flipped for another 8 minutes.  At the end I put them under the broiler for about 3 minutes per side.  We topped ours with avocado, tomato, and Newman's salsa.  The burgers were very meaty and firm.  They didn't crumble or fall apart like other homemade burgers I've attempted.  My hamburger-loving husband loved them, too, and thought that the texture was rather meat-like, both before and after cooking.  (I'm including this commentary for anyone who wants to try and win over a carnivorous diner with a meat-free yet meaty alternative to hamburgers.)  

We got 6 large burgers out of the recipe (the first two were actually rather huge - I hadn't considered how filling they would be!).  I'd like to experiment with cooking the burgers and freezing them.  Although I love having Amy's Quarter-Pound veggie burgers to throw on the grill, these would be an even healthier alternative.  Plus, knowing that I made them myself is pretty darn cool.

Thanks again, Sherry!