In Arizona, where we live, lately it's been too hot to do much of anything extraneous outside. Not that grilling is the least bit tiresome, but the heat from the sun (it's been around 113 here), the random humidity and the fire we created for grilling is a tad too much.
To cope, I took to grilling all sorts of fresh veg inside last night. Though, I wanted more than just grilled veggies, so I also whipped up a batch of my Eggplant Veggie Burgers. They take some time to bake but putting them together is a breeze.
To cope, I took to grilling all sorts of fresh veg inside last night. Though, I wanted more than just grilled veggies, so I also whipped up a batch of my Eggplant Veggie Burgers. They take some time to bake but putting them together is a breeze.
Grilled Veggies
Ingredients
1 bell pepper (any color) cut into 1 1/2 inch slices
1 succhini, halved down the middle (lengthwise) and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 red onion, quartered
1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons red pepper flake
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Heat an indoor grill pan on medium-high heat.
Chop vegetables accordingly and throw into a bowl. In a smaller dish, mix together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and spices. Toss vegetables in the dressing mixture.
Grill veggies 5-7 minutes a side until they start to get grill marks and become softer in texture and appearance. Cook to your liking, remove from grill and enjoy!
Ingredients
1 bell pepper (any color) cut into 1 1/2 inch slices
1 succhini, halved down the middle (lengthwise) and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 red onion, quartered
1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons red pepper flake
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Heat an indoor grill pan on medium-high heat.
Chop vegetables accordingly and throw into a bowl. In a smaller dish, mix together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and spices. Toss vegetables in the dressing mixture.
Grill veggies 5-7 minutes a side until they start to get grill marks and become softer in texture and appearance. Cook to your liking, remove from grill and enjoy!
Eggplant Veggie Burgers
Ingredients
1/2 eggplant sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 small red or medium yellow onion (whatever you have on hand)
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp raw cashews
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp cumin (I add more sometimes because I love the flavor cumin gives to burgers!)
1 to 1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
alfalfa sprouts, for topping (optional)
sliced vegan cheese, for topping (optional)
Tahini Sauce Ingredients
2 to 3 heaping Tbs tahini
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice (whatever you have on hand)
2 garlic cloves
dash soy sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Place the slices of eggplant on a foil lined baking sheet that has been lightly spritzed with cooking spray. Roast the eggplant for 10 minutes on one side and 5 minutes on the other side.
While the eggplant is roasting, saute the onion, bell pepper, carrots and garlic until everything is softened.
After the eggplant has finished roasting, turn the oven down to 400 F.
Into a food processor add the roasted eggplant, sauteed mixture of onions, bell pepper and garlic, beans, parsley, cashews and cumin. Pulse until just combined.
Pour into a bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs. Start with 1 cup and add extra bread crumbs 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture barely starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. You will need varying amounts of the breadcrumbs each time you make this recipe depending on how much liquid your beans had, how wet your hummus was, humidity, etc.
Now, using the same pan and foil as before, lightly spritz the foil again with cooking spray, and form anywhere from 5-8 patties. Make them as large or as small as you like!
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until they start to get crispy and brown on the edges. Flip and bake for another 25 minutes.
While the burgers are baking, place all of the tahini sauce ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until combined.
Take the burgers out of the oven, top with alfalfa sprouts, a slice of vegan cheese (if you like) and the tahini sauce--then eat! Oh, they are so amazing. I typically will have mine on it's own or on 1/2 a piece of lavash or a whole wheat vegan bun. Add extra veg (tomatoes, pickles, lettuce or whatever) to accommodate your own taste. I don't like a lot of fuss on my burger...so I'm good with alfalfa sprouts! Just the right amount of greenage and crunch!
Ingredients
1/2 eggplant sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 small red or medium yellow onion (whatever you have on hand)
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp raw cashews
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp cumin (I add more sometimes because I love the flavor cumin gives to burgers!)
1 to 1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
alfalfa sprouts, for topping (optional)
sliced vegan cheese, for topping (optional)
Tahini Sauce Ingredients
2 to 3 heaping Tbs tahini
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice (whatever you have on hand)
2 garlic cloves
dash soy sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Place the slices of eggplant on a foil lined baking sheet that has been lightly spritzed with cooking spray. Roast the eggplant for 10 minutes on one side and 5 minutes on the other side.
While the eggplant is roasting, saute the onion, bell pepper, carrots and garlic until everything is softened.
After the eggplant has finished roasting, turn the oven down to 400 F.
Into a food processor add the roasted eggplant, sauteed mixture of onions, bell pepper and garlic, beans, parsley, cashews and cumin. Pulse until just combined.
Pour into a bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs. Start with 1 cup and add extra bread crumbs 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture barely starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. You will need varying amounts of the breadcrumbs each time you make this recipe depending on how much liquid your beans had, how wet your hummus was, humidity, etc.
Now, using the same pan and foil as before, lightly spritz the foil again with cooking spray, and form anywhere from 5-8 patties. Make them as large or as small as you like!
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until they start to get crispy and brown on the edges. Flip and bake for another 25 minutes.
While the burgers are baking, place all of the tahini sauce ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until combined.
Take the burgers out of the oven, top with alfalfa sprouts, a slice of vegan cheese (if you like) and the tahini sauce--then eat! Oh, they are so amazing. I typically will have mine on it's own or on 1/2 a piece of lavash or a whole wheat vegan bun. Add extra veg (tomatoes, pickles, lettuce or whatever) to accommodate your own taste. I don't like a lot of fuss on my burger...so I'm good with alfalfa sprouts! Just the right amount of greenage and crunch!