Baked Beet-and-Carrot Burgers with Brown Rice, Sunflower Seeds, and Cheddar Cheese
If you like veggie burgers, you’ll love this recipe. Sweet beets and carrots give luscious flavor to these baked patties—together with pungent onion, snappy Cheddar cheese, and lots of toasty nuts and seeds. Great on wheat buns with mayo! Additional flour and egg can be substituted for the rice. Angelic Organics Kitchen (adapted from the Rose Valley Farm Food Book). Makes 12 patties
- butter for greasing the baking sheet
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 cups peeled, grated beets (1–2 medium beets)
- 2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)
- 1/2 cup minced onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (about 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with butter.
2. Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately remove from heat and transfer the toasted seeds to a dish to cool.
3. Return the skillet to the heat. Add the sunflower seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning them. Immediately transfer them to the dish with the sesame seeds.
4. Combine the beets, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the toasted sunflower and sesame seeds, eggs, rice, Cheddar cheese, oil, flour, parsley, soy sauce or tamari, and garlic (your hands work best here). Add cayenne (use 1/4 teaspoon for spicier burgers) and mix until thoroughly combined.
5. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 patties and arrange them in rows on the baking sheet.
6. Bake the patties until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Unless they are very large and thick, it should not be necessary to turn them. Serve alone or on buns.
Excerpted from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Supported Farm by Farmer John Peterson & Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith Publisher). Check with your local farm or bookstore for availability. Additional recipes, charts, signed copies of this book, and quantity discounts available at www.AngelicOrganics.com/cookbook.