Life is short. Eat your dessert first.

Birdsall House Inspired Beet Burger

11/3 c 

Before I had this beet burger at Birdsall House in Peekskill, New York, I was an avid beet-hater. I owe my newfound love of this vibrant root vegetable to this burger; it will make you rethink the under-appreciated magenta vegetable. Full disclosure: I didn’t measure all these ingredients exactly so adjust to your tastes. The burgers fell apart a little after they were cooked so I still have some tweaking to do but the taste was delicious. I got inspiration for this recipe from here.

Ingredients

4 cups shredded peeled, raw beets (about 2 bunches of beets)

1 cup cooked quinoa 

1 can black beans, rinsed

½ cup raw walnuts, crushed or ground into loose meal

1 egg

1 large onion, diced and sauteed in 1 tbsp or oil, butter, or ghee

1 tbsp chopped garlic (I’m a garlicaholic)

1 tsp Ancho chile powder

1 tsp Smoked paprika

1 tsp chile powder

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

About 3-4 Tbsp of any fresh herbs you have (I used parsley and dill) 

pepper to taste (I used sichaun)

Optional Toppings

Goat cheese

Honey dijon cream sauce (1/3 cup mayo, 4.5 Tbsp dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp honey all mixed together)

Sauteed apples

What to do

  1. Preheat oven to 375*.
  2. Start cooking the quinoa first (according to directions on package) since it will take the longest.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add your oil, butter, or ghee. Once hot add the onion and sauté, seasoning with a pinch each salt and pepper. Saute for about 5-10 minutes until soft. Add garlic to this skillet for a minute and remove from heat.
  4. While onions are cooking, peel beets with a vegetable peeler and grate them. 
  5. Remove from heat and add black beans and mash. You’re looking for a rough mash, so you can leave a bit of texture if you want. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the quinoa, eggs, beets, spices and stir.
  6. Lastly, add the walnut meal a little at a time until the mixture is able enough to form into patties. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray or olive oil. Form mixture into roughly 8-9 patties. Arrange burgers on a baking sheet and brush or spray the tops with olive oil. Bake at 375 for a total of 30-45 minutes, gently flipping at the halfway mark.
  7.  

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