Hooray for Meatless Monday!
Even more exciting…the BOY participated this week : )
For dinner, I decided on Curried Veggie Burgers from Pinch of Yum. And to my surprise, I got no protests from my roommate. Although we both eat meat, I love exploring vegetarian recipes that focus on quality ingredients and fragrant spices. I picked up all of my ingredients at the grocery store today. I was impressed with all of the nutrient-packed ingredients in these burgers, and couldn’t wait to see how it all came together.
My one hiccup came when I couldn’t find canned lentils at the grocery store. Does anyone know where they are? Instead, I boiled up a batch of my own lentils, which was a bit of a disaster. I always use lentils in recipes, but have never made them plain. What I got was a huge mushy mess. I didn’t worry about that too much though because I knew they were heading into burgers.
I was surprised to see cashews in these burgers and excited to toast them up, take a taste, and then create the paste.
Also into the mix…chickpeas, onions, carrots, spices, and brown rice. Somehow, I didn’t have any TJ’s brown rice in the freezer, but this mix made the perfect substitute.
NOTE: This is important! If you have a smaller food processor (like mine which is 7 cups), you might want to cut this recipe in half! I had to do 2 batches in my food processor which made it difficult to evenly mix the spices.
Ok, so once you have your doughy mixture, there is a decision to make. To bake or to fry?
Since I had an abundance of burger mix, I knew that I could try both. So I threw one batch of burgers in the oven and pan fried the rest. In the end, I think I finished with, like 20 burgers. The fried ones were warm and soft (I liked the olive oil coating).
But the baked ones were toasted and crunchy. Both tasted great, but I think next time I would add some extra curry powder! BTW, Lindsay suggests baking then frying the burgers!
The BOY made his burger into a wrap with a variety of toppings.
We both had roasted broccoli on the side, and I spread a layer of hummus over my flavorful burger.
I have plenty of leftovers, so it looks like I am all set for lunch this week. Topped with hummus and avocado, I know this will make a filling midday meal!
Lindsay’s website has the full recipe and all of the tasty details, so definitely head her way before next Monday!
Did you go Meatless today?
What are your favorite meat free meals? Links Welcome!
More Meatless Monday Ideas
Baked Barley Casserole with Mushrooms and Squash
Moroccan Couscous with Saffron
Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry
I’ve bought pre-cooked lentils at Trader Joes before. They’re in the produce section in the cooler in plastic and cardboard packaging.
Good call! I totally forgot about those. I will have to pick some up this week!
If curry + cashews are involved, I’m sold! Meatless here tonight as well: baked polenta and tuscan white beans. Recipe coming soon!
I will look for it. I’ve never made polenta before. Definitely try these burgers but add some extra curry!!!
Looks delish!! I’m always up for new meatless recipes!!
Especially one so tasty and full of good foods!
Looks delicious! We did vegetarian tacos last night. I love refried beans! Here’s one of my other go-to meatless meals: http://eatmovebalance.com/kiss-cauliflower-stirfry-and-quinoa/
You know…we do a lot of tacos but rarely veggie tacos. That’s a great idea! I will check out this recipe. I know the BOY loves cauliflower and stirfry is always a great meal for week days! thanks for sharing!
Oh, those look fantastic!
Thank you! it was a crowd pleasing meal : )
I love this. I just made my first batch of bean burgers over the weekend, although I actually haven’t tried them yet. That’s probably weird, but I think they’ll dinner tomorrow because they’ll be easy to reheat. I impressed you got the boy onto Meatless Monday. That’s pretty huge.
It was a big accomplishment and no bribery needed…ha ha! I have trouble getting my burgers to the right consistency sometimes. Do you bake or fry them? I think that is a great idea to make ahead. I will have to remember that. I wonder if they will freeze too?! I have more than enough for a few weeks.
I baked them, and they looked crispy crunchy on top but they almost stuck to the wax paper on the bottom so I know they are still soft. The recipe said they could be stored in the fridge or the freezer. I plan on trying them tonight so wish me luck.
Can’t wait to see how they turn out!
Those burgers looks TASTY! Love a good meatless option!
I brought all of the leftovers to work today to share with my coworkers. I think the taste was great but I need to perfect my texture a bit.
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