Commonplace Veggie Burger

by Brenda Langton, Tastemaker in Residence

This is my oldest recipe, updated a few times over the past 35 years. Yikes! I started making this recipe at Commonplace Restaurant in St. Paul when I was fifteen. If you have a food processor, please get it on out; it makes quick work of mincing the vegetables, beans, and nuts. To mince the vegetables, simply chop them first into one-inch pieces and then pulse them. // makes 12 to 14 burgers

photo - Spoonriver Cookbook

Ingredients

3⁄4 cup peanuts or pumpkin seeds

3⁄4 cup sesame seeds

3⁄4 cup sunflower seeds

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, minced

1 large carrot, minced or grated

1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons fresh

3 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup rice cooked in 2 cups water)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper

1 egg

1⁄4 cup tamari or soy sauce

1⁄4 cup breadcrumbs, if needed

Instructions

1. Roast the peanuts, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. If you buy them already roasted, look for nuts and seeds that are not salted. If you are roasting them, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the nuts and seeds on a dry cookie sheet and roast them for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are fragrant but not browned. Cool the nuts and seeds before coarsely chopping them in a food processor.

2. Coarsely chop the chickpeas in a food processor or by hand.

3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onions until they are soft. Add garlic and cook briefly before adding celery and carrots. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

4. Combine nuts, seeds, vegetables, cooked rice, beans, thyme, oregano, parsley, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper
   in a large bowl. Stir to combine well. Beat the egg and soy sauce together and mix into the burger mixture until well incorporated. If the mixture is quite wet, add the breadcrumbs. The mixture needs to be slightly sticky to form patties.

5. using your hands, form a handful (about 1⁄2 cup) of the mixture into a patty that is about 3 inches in diameter and 3⁄4 to 1 inch thick. Press the mixture together well.

6. To cook the veggie burgers, heat some vegetable oil in
   a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. You need only enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Fry the patties until they are golden brown on each side and heated through. Make sure your flame is not on high, or they will brown too quickly.

7. To store any uncooked patties, wrap them well in plastic wrap or waxed paper and put them in the refrigerator or freezer. They will keep for 5 days refrigerated. The patties can be crumbly after freezing. Thaw them slowly and firmly press them together again before cooking.