I love a good burger and fries, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I crave a healthy twist on a traditional meal. These homemade veggie burgers in no way resemble the strange and unidentifiable brown patties that you buy at the local grocery. These burgers are bursting with flavor. Onion, ginger, curry powder, and cilantro flavor the lentils and barley, while the eggs and bread crumbs help hold it all together. Please don’t skip the goat cheese topping for the burgers, please. You will regret it. And don’t skimp on it either. Slather it onto the bun, you won’t be sorry. It adds a great tang and contrast to the burgers. We serve our burgers topped with lettuce and cucumbers. Even our dedicated meat-lovers enjoy this meal.
The fries in this picture are extra special to me, as they come straight from my garden; my first ever harvest of sweet potatoes. Topped with my custom Potato Seasoning Mix, they make a perfect addition to the dinner plate. I keep my seasoning mix in an old parsley container. So the next time you finish off one of your spices, save the container to store spice mixes that you create.
Veggie Burgers
Serves 6
Adapted from Food Network
Burgers:
1 cup green lentils, picked through and rinsed
1/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (blend 2 slices of bread in the food processor)
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 burger buns or pocket pitas
Toppings:
1/2 cup goat cheese, (2 to 3 ounces) (I prefer herbed goat cheese if you can find it)
1/4 cup milk
Lettuce, sliced cucumber, radish
Put the lentils and barley in a saucepan cover with cold water by about 3 inches. Season with salt, and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, until the lentils and barley are tender, about 20 minutes. Add extra liquid during cooking if necessary. Drain excess liquid and put the beans and grain into a large bowl. Cool.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, and ginger until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute more. Cool slightly and then add to the lentils and barley.
Stir the cilantro, bread crumbs, and eggs into the lentil mixture, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste. Puree 1 cup of the burger mix in a food processor until smooth. Return puree back to the bowl and mix well. Form mixture into 6 burgers (about 1/2 cup each). Place on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour. (MessyCook note: I have always skipped the refrigeration step. Refrigerate if you have the time, since it will help the burgers stay together.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers in two batches, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes in all. Transfer the browned burgers to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining oil and burgers. Transfer burgers to the oven, and cook until firm, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, lightly toast buns or pitas. Mix the goat cheese and milk in a small bowl until smooth, season with salt and pepper. Put the burgers on the buns, and top with lettuce, cucumber, and/or radish, if desired. Serve.
Potato or Sweet Potato Wedges
4 potatoes or sweet potatoes
¼ cup vegetable oil
2-4 Tbsp Potato Wedge Seasoning Mix, recipe below
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into wedges of equal size. Toss with oil and seasoning mix and transfer to sheet pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning once. (MessyCook note: I find that sweet potatoes take 5-10 minutes less than white potatoes. If you are cooking both at the same time, place on separate pans and give the white potatoes a 5-10 minute head start.)
Potato Wedge Seasoning Mix
Makes about ¾ cup
¼ cup salt
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp pepper
Combine. Store in an airtight container.
Don’t let this plate of neutral colors fool you. This dish is full of flavor. This version of korma, a type of curry, is flavored with turmeric, coriander, and garam masala. These may be spices that are missing from your spice rack. I know you are thinking that it will be too much trouble or too expensive to buy a whole new set of spices that you will only use for one recipe. But don’t fear, because you will want to make this recipe again and again.
Typically, I serve korma with brown rice, cooked according to package directions, with a little turmeric added for flavor and color. This time, I decided to mix it up by serving it with Brown Rice with Lentils and Golden Raisins. The chewiness of the rice, the tenderness of the lentils, and the sweetness of the golden raisins worked perfect together. The rice and lentils would make a great side dish with almost any meal. Now that I think about it, maybe even for dinner tonight…
As an added bonus, both of these recipes are incredibly healthy, lots of veggies, a variety of colors, whole grains, and lentils. Shh, don’t tell, it will be our little secret.
If making both recipes at once seems too overwhelming, start with the korma, served with brown rice. It is sure to become a family favorite.
Chicken and Vegetable Korma
Adapted from Taste is Trump. Serves 4-6 (and makes great leftovers)
Note: Any combination of vegetables can be used in this recipe, use what you have on hand. All of the following are great options: carrots, parsnips, potatoes, green beans, peppers, sugar snap peas, edamame, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, or even a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables. The chicken can be left out to make the recipe vegetarian, which I often do. Serve with brown rice cooked with 1 tsp of turmeric or Brown Rice with Lentils and Golden Raisins (recipe below).
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed
3 teaspoon grated ginger
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh green beans
1 cup chopped potatoes, sweet potatoes, or cauliflower
1 cup cooked chicken
1/2 cup green peas
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon honey
salt to taste
In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Mix in garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, 1 tsp. salt and cayenne if desired. Place mixture in blender, pour in water, blend until smooth. Pour sauce back into skillet, mix in carrots, potatoes, pepper and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Stir in peas, raisins, nuts, cream and honey. Heat through. Season with salt to taste.
Brown Rice with Lentils and Golden Raisins
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”
Serves 4-6
½ cup lentils, rinsed
1 cup brown rice, rinsed
3 ¼ cups chicken stock or water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1 tsp vinegar
3 Tbs butter
1 medium onion
½ cup golden raisins, apricots, or other dried fruit (I used golden raisins)
Put the lentils and rice in a medium saucepan, add enough liquid to cover by at least 2 inches, about 3 cups. Turn the heat to high and add the bay leaf, about 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and vinegar. When the mixture boils, turn the heat medium, skim off any foam that has formed on top, and cook, stirring infrequently. If you need to add more liquid to keep the mixture wet, do so, a little at a time.
When the lentils and rice are both tender—it will take between 30 and 45 minutes—drain them; do not rinse (it may not even be necessary to drain). Remove the bay leaf.
While the rice and lentils cook, put 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the golden raisins and remaining 1/4 cup liquid. When the liquid simmers, turn off the heat.
When the lentil/rice mixture is ready, put the remaining butter or olive oil in the lentil/rice cooking pot and turn the heat to medium. When the butter has melted or the oil is hot, add the lentils and rice back to the pot and cook, stirring, until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and golden raisins and cook, stirring, for another minute.
