Veggie Burger In Progress

Last night I was laying on the couch after a kick my ass yoga basics class (yes, I'm new to yoga) and was debating whether or not to hit Subway for lunch today (yuck!) or create something magnificent from my kitchen. I grabbed my laptop and searched some of my favorite blogs. 101 Cookbooks is such a beautiful web site. I love the photography so much that I forget about the recipes beckoning me. My lunch today was completely inspired by the Ultimate Veggie Burger Recipe at 101 Cookbooks. My interpretation and photos are no where near the quality of 101 Cookbooks, but I'm on a mission to come close.

Oh so sweet and crunchy baby carrots.Veggie burger, almost.

Veggie Burger In Progress

1 cn. garbanzo beans, drained

handful, fresh baby spinach

3 egg whites

1 slice of stale wheat bread

half a lemon, or to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. tahini

1 tbsp. oil, for cooking

Combine the first nine ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is like a thick hummus. The mixture will be very thick, wet and loose. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large fry pan. Scoop the mixture out of the food processor with a half cup ice cream scoop or measuring cup and place it carefully into the hot pan. Use the back of the scoop to press down the mixture to form a patty. This recipe makes four patties but cook two at a time so as not to crowd the pan. Let the burgers cook until they are nicely browned and have formed a crust on one side, about 10 minutes, and then flip over to cook the other side. I flipped one patty too soon and the patty fell apart like a pancake would if turned too early. Cook for approximately 10 minutes on each side. Make sure the patty is cooked through by tapping the center of the patty with your finger. It should be firm to the touch.

For lunch today, I had the burger on a wheat pita with lettuce, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and tahini. It was tasty, but the textures were off for me. Next time I'll have it on a thicker bread, hot and will add some kind of fat component like avocado, laughing cow cheese wedge or maybe goat cheese.

This recipe is a work in progress. I'll use two egg whites instead of three on my next attempt and hopefully be able to eliminate the slice of bread. And I think the addition of heat would be nice like hot sauce or sriracha.

I feel very healthy today and am proud of myself for taking the plunge into homemade veggie burgers. I don't know why I've wasted so much time, energy and money on frozen veggie patties. Try this recipe or post some new ones for me to try!

Serves One. 500 Calories.