Better Burgers

Due to the amazing fortune I have to be a stay-at-home mom for the summer to a long-napping baby, I've had a lot of home bound free time which I've been spending in the kitchen. 

Jake and I have been trying to eat a lot less meat lately, and to make sure that we know where the meat we do eat comes from. Chicken: check. The odd duck: check. Our friends are raising 5 free-range pigs this summer, one half of which will end up in our freezer later, so future pork: check.
There are plenty of farmers around here from which to buy quarters or halves of organic grass-fed beef, but we haven't gotten around to purchasing any yet. You can buy small packages of ground beef and other meat cuts at the coop in town, but its really expensive, and its still meat, of which, as I said, we're trying to consume less.

But still, its summer now, and burgers on the grill are so good. Not only in themselves, but as vehicles for all that great garden produce. A slice of fresh tomato, adorned with new pickles, horseradish, and onions. Yum.

So today, I set out to create a recipe for vegetarian burgers that aren't too mushy, too bland, too spicy, or too full with obscure ingredients. Success! I used inspiration from several recipes I found online, and added and substituted freely. Basically, you need a filler and a binder and some spice for flavor.

I used red wheat berries and a mix of black and pinto beans for the filler, and duck eggs and bread crumbs for the binder. I soaked and cooked equal amounts of each, then mashed up the beans and fancied 'em up. I tossed in some scallions and green garlic from the garden, along with some grated carrot, and then some pinches of cayenne, some brown mustard, a liberal amount of nutritional yeast, and some tamari. I stirred in the wheat berries, and made patties, then baked them on parchment at 350 for 20 minutes.

They're so good! Flavorful with a good "meaty" texture. Even the dog likes them. I made 10 big burgers, most of which I'll freeze for future grilling enjoyment.