Vegetarian Beet & Goat Feta Burger

I've got to believe that everyone, at some point, or hopefully at multiple points in their lives, have said to themselves, "Holy smokes --> Enter Your First and Last Name Here <--. You. Totally. Rock." It's a pretty awesome thing to be able to say to yourself. Lesson for this post is that it's healthy pat yourself on the back once in awhile, give yourself some cred, and appreciate what you do for you.


I had roasted some beets last week and I really wanted to do something fun with them. Since they had already been sitting for awhile, I knew I had to eat them soon. I decided to just suck it up and do what I usually do with beets: make a simple beet and walnut salad w/ goat cheese. I had picked up some goat feta from Achadinha Cheese Company at the Ferry Building farmer's market last week, so that needed to be used up too. (REALLY great cheese, btw, made by Donna Pacheco. She only makes three kinds of cheese and a goat sausage, courtesy of her goats in Petaluma). As exciting as the beet and goat feta was, I've already done the salad so many times! BOR-ING. My limited motivation left me drinking two glasses of wine and nibbling on some bread and Cambazola cheese. The wine got me thinking (yes - I owe it all to the wine) - I remembered that I had really liked a beet burger from The Plant Cafe awhile back. Could I make it? Should I try? Even if it didn't turn out well, I still had wine and cheese as a back up dinner. (Hey! It's Monday! - don't judge!)


Here's how my brain worked this evening: Beets, check. Goat feta, check (for the burger topping of course). What else do I have? Red Onion? - sure! Carrots? - Why not? *shred...shred...shred in the food processor then transferred to bowl* ....Hmm...it needs something to mush it all together. I found a can of black beans - huh...that could work...?! *whirl whirl whirl in the food processor* It needs some liquid *add olive oil, whirl some more, add to bowl and mix* What else could I put in?!....Walnuts! - DUH! Window box herbs...hmmm...yum I think? We'll see... I'm on a health roll now. What else is healthy? Umm...flax seeds? Ok! Oatmeal? What the heck, why not? *more whirling of the food processor and add to bowl, mix mix* It looks like ground burger meat to me! =D. And so a patty was formed.......


Seriously, that's how it happened. Sandwiched between a honey whole wheat sesame bun left over from camping this past weekend, with some perfectly ripe avocado, butter lettuce from my veggie box, some radish sprouts for a bit of kick, and thinly sliced tomato. All of that resulted in: Holy smokes Kay Chu. You. Totally. Rock. Uh huh....that's right. I totally rock.

Ingredients

3 Large Beets roasted, peeled, cut in half
6 Small Nantes Carrots (or 2 large regular carrots) Peeled
1 Red Onion, cut in half and peeled, root removed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
2 Tbs olive oil
1/3 Cup Walnuts, chopped and toasted
2 Tbs fresh oregano, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 Tbs Flax Seeds
1/4 Cup Oatmeal
1 Tbs Salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 Tbs Pepper (more or less to taste)

Add-ons:
Goat Cheese
Avocado, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced
Lettuce
Aioli (I HIGHLY recommend the chipotle aioli with this!)
Radish shoots

Shred the beets, carrots and onion in a food processor. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Switch to the blade attachment on the food processor, add in black beans and olive oil and process until in turns into a paste. Add beans to the shredded vegetables. Next, chop the walnuts, fresh herbs, flax seeds,and oatmeal in the food processor until crumbly. Add to the big mixing bowl. Mix everything well and form in to 6 patties about 4-5 inches in diameter.

Heat a non stick pan over med-high heat, and lightly grease the pan with some olive oil. Cook patties for about 3-4 minutes on each side, flipping once. Once the patties are cooked, flip one more time so you get the hot side of the patty, add cheese, turn of heat and put a lid on to melt the cheese. Meanwhile, prep the rest of your burger add-ons and toast the buns. Build the burger to your liking and ENJOY!