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Ultimate Veggie Burgers

Source of Recipe

From "Margaritaville" by Carlo Sernaglia and Julia Turshen


Recipe Introduction

"Packed with basically the entire contents of a health food store, these veggie burgers are full of protein from quinoa, chickpeas, and black beans. The sautéed carrots and zucchini not only add color, but also keep the burgers from drying out."

List of Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large carrot, coarsely grated
• 1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
• ½ small red onion, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cooked bulgur
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Large handful of fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 4 multigrain hamburger buns
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 4 large Bibb lettuce leaves
• 4 slices jalapeño Cheddar (or pepper jack cheese)
• 1 large heirloom tomato, thinly sliced


Recipe

Place 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, zucchini, and onion and season with a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just tender but still have some crunch, about 4 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl; set the skillet aside (no need to wash it). Add the scallions and bulgur to the bowl and set aside.

Place the quinoa, chickpeas, black beans, lemon juice, cumin, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together almost like a dough (you will need just three or four pulses - do not overprocess). Transfer the mixture to the bowl of vegetables and mix everything together well with your hands. Divide the mixture into 4 even patties.

Place the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet you used for the vegetables and set it over medium-high heat. Place the burgers in the skillet and cook until nicely browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.

Spread the cut sides of the buns with the mayonnaise and place a piece of lettuce on the bottom half of each bun. Place a burger and a slice of cheese on top of each piece of lettuce. Divide the tomatoes among the burgers and close the burgers with the top buns. Serve immediately.

Serves 4