Fall Veggie Burgers With Black Bean & Sweet Potato

The Spring Veggie Burger recipe is a fantastic staple for quick meals, and this seasonal reprise is a delicious variation.  It has a sweeter flavor combination with apples and sweet potatoes, and a great balance of proteins with black beans and pecans.  Serve on a freshly baked bun with fresh arugula, Basil Garlic Aioli, and Roasted Tomatoes & Peppers seasoned with chipotle chile pepper or smoked serrano pepper.

Ingredients: (Recipe for about 3 dozen burgers) About 4 cups cooked black beans, or three 15-oz cans (drained and rinsed) 1 cup dry wild rice or quinoa, cooked with Rapunzel vegetable bouillon until tender 3 bunches of greens (kale, collards, kohlrabi greens, etc.), stems trimmed, blanched and chopped finely 2 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and diced small 1 bunch of radishes, trimmed and diced small A 3-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated 1 large, or two medium sweet potatoes, finely chopped About 2 cups of shiitake mushrooms, stems removed & finely chopped 1 apple, finely chopped 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped 12 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and minced or crushed 2 cups ground pecans 1 Tbs dried or fresh thyme 1 tsp ground allspice 1/2 tsp ground cloves Black or red pepper to taste 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1 cup whole wheat flour Juice from one lemon 2 farm fresh eggs 1/2 cup olive oil 1 Tbs sea salt

Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with oiled parchment paper. Add all ingredients to a large bowl in the order listed. (You can prepare some ahead of time if desired.) Combine well, then form into patties (or make balls, then press gently on the baking sheet until it forms a patty.)  Bake on oiled and lined baking sheets for about 30 minutes.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving, or until cool before storing.  (The burgers will be quite crumbly when they first come out of the oven, but are firm enough to move once they have cooled.) Gently remove the burgers from the baking sheet with a spatula and place in freezer bags or containers, with parchment paper between each layer. Warm in a skillet, toaster oven, or microwave oven before serving.

Preparation suggestions: All of the vegetables can be chopped in a food processor, but I like to hand-dice the radishes and kohlrabi a little larger so the burgers have a little crunch and texture. For the sweet potatoes, mushrooms, apple, onion and garlic, however, it's easier to chop them finely in a food processor.  You can leave the skins on the sweet potatoes and apples, so no need to do any peeling beforehand.  If you tried the Spring Veggie Burger recipe earlier this year, you will notice that this one has a slightly different texture.  There is a lot of moisture in the fall veggies, so you have to make sure you don't salt the mixture too soon.  The salt will cause the vegetables to release their juices, so you may want to add it just before you begin to form the patties. Also, the parchment or waxed paper is essential. Since the sugars in the sweet potatoes and apples will caramelize while baking, and therefore stick to the pan if the parchment is not used.

Lamb Stuffed Greens With Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes

This is a variation on cabbage rolls, or even a stuffed grape leaves idea.  If you have a favorite stuffing for such things, I'm sure they would be nice inside these leafy greens as well.  In this recipe, many of the items in this season's share are used.  I have fresh herbs in my garden, but I would imagine a zesty or flavorful dried seasoning blend would be nice too.  One thing to keep in mind is that the leaves will extract a lot of flavor from the stuffing. Be sure to season it generously so it does not end up tasting bland. Ingredients: About two dozen large leafy greens, (kohlrabi greens, collards, or napa cabbage work well) 1 lb ground leg of lamb 1/2 cup (dry) quinoa, cooked with broth or stock until tender 1 sweet onion, minced 6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed 1 large sweet pepper, diced 1 medium tomato, diced Fresh hot peppers (to taste), diced Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme (to taste), minced 6 oz tomato paste 4 slices of dry toast, ground into bread crumbs 1-2 cups lamb stock 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes or diced tomato 1 cup balsamic vinegar Sea salt & pepper, to taste

Method: Boil about 8 quarts of water in a large stock pot.  Dunk the washed and trimmed greens in the pot and boil for about one minute. Gently lift the leaves out of the boiling water (as to not tear them) and place in a bowl of ice-cold water.  When cool, remove from the water and let drain in a colander. Next, combine the lamb, cooked quinoa, onion, garlic, sweet pepper, tomato, hot peppers, herbs, tomato paste, bread crumbs, about one tablespoon of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.  Take about 1/4 cup of the stuffing and place at the base of each leaf (they may require more or less, depending on the size of the leaves.) Roll from the base of the leaves to the tips, tucking the sides in as you go so the stuffing is completely encapsulated in the leaves.  Place snugly in a glass or ceramic baking dish and pour the lamb stock over the rolls.  Cover with an ovenproof lid or aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for one hour. After removing the rolls from the oven, let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

While the rolls are baking, place the cherry tomatoes and balsamic vinegar in a skillet and saute until the tomatoes have burst and the vinegar and juices have reduced a little. When the tomato and vinegar begin to caramelize, remove from the heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the warm tomato and vinegar reduction over the lamb rolls before serving.

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts

1 stalk of Brussels sprouts Canola oil Sea salt Toasted garlic drizzling oil

Thinly coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil. Remove Brussels sprouts from the stalk, including any stray leaves.  Cut the larger sprouts in half and place them cut-side down in the pan.  Place the rest of the smaller buds and leaves in the pan, trying to keep everything in an even layer.  Turn the heat on to medium or medium-high.  Do not disturb the sprouts while you are waiting for them to brown.

Sprinkle a little salt over the tops when they begin to turn bright green.  When the sprouts begin to brown on the bottoms you can give them a stir to make sure they are cooking evenly, but do not over-cook them.  They should still have a little crunch when done.  Remove from heat and drizzle toasted garlic oil on top, and salt to taste.

Spring Veggie Burgers

You might think veggie burgers are just for people who don't eat meat.  That is, until you try these.  These freshly made garden burgers are rich in protein, fiber, and nutrients, and extremely satisfying.  They store well in the freezer and can be quickly warmed up in a toaster oven, skillet, or microwave. This recipe makes 2-3 dozen burgers, depending on size.

Ingredients:

1 large beet root, grated 1 large kohlrabi bulb, peeled 1 leek 1 onion 3 carrots 8 oz wild mushrooms, whichever you like best 6 garlic cloves, peeled 1 bunch beet greens, chard or kale, finely chopped 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 1 cup nuts or seeds, ground (walnuts, pecans or pumpkin seeds work well) 3 eggs 1 cup red lentils (dry) 1 cup quinoa (dry) 3-4 slices of bread, toasted until completely dry, then ground in a blender or food processor. (Can substitute about 1/2 cup rice and almond flour and omit breadcrumbs if gluten-free) Juice from 1-2 lemons 1/2 cup canola oil 1 Tbs fennel seeds 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp cumin Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Cook lentils and quinoa according to packet directions.  (I like to use Rapunzel vegetable bouillon with sea salt and herbs to season the quinoa) The lentils are best if they are slightly under-done for this recipe. Let cool. Make breadcrumbs. This is another step, but it's pretty easy and there is no comparison between fresh and store-bought.  (You can make breadcrumbs in advance and freeze larger batches.) Chop all vegetables as small as possible, or use a food processor or grater.  If you like a softer texture to your burgers you can place the chopped or grated beet, kohlrabi, leek, carrots, and mushrooms in a skillet or pan with a little oil and a dash of salt and saute until the vegetables soften. Let cool. If you don't cook the veggies first, the texture is nicely varied and the veggies will stand out a little more.

Put all ingredients, except eggs, in a large bowl and mix with your hands to combine ingredients well.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Add eggs and mix well. You may need to add more flour if it is too wet.  It should be just dry enough to form into soft patties.

I usually use my hands to form the mixture.  If we are in a hurry, I fry the burgers with a little oil on medium-low heat for several minutes on each side.  Otherwise, you can bake them on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Serve on a toasted bun with Lemon Tarragon Aioli and arugula, or try it with Auntie's Guacamole, or smother it with caramelized onions and melted Cumberland or Coppinger cheese.

Extra burgers can be frozen. Carefully place them in gallon sized freezer bags in one or two layers (with waxed paper between layers). Make sure to keep them flat at all times, and freeze on a shelf.

Tom's Grilled Cabbage

Ingredients: Caraflex (conehead) cabbage or Napa cabbage Olive oil Garlic powder Onion powder Sea salt Black pepper

Method: Cut the cabbage in half or quartered.  Place in a plastic storage bag with some olive oil and the seasonings and shake until well-coated. Place the cabbage cut-side down on a hot grill and leave until it is fork tender, but still has a little crunch.  Slice before serving or serve in wedges.  This method also works great for peeled slices of Kohlrabi.