"veggie burgers"

I put the title in quotes because I make a wide array of things that I market to my kids under the name of "veggie burgers." The only consistencies among them are a legume, a grain, some salt, and an allium or two. (Occasionally a chopped-fine green that I manage to sneak in.) They're a standard menu item in our house, but I haven't been making them much lately. They're more of a winter thing, and I am sure I'll put many of their manifestations up here eventually.




(Actually, that first picture I took, of the stuff in the pan before I pureed it, because I thought it looked delicious as is -- it was, actually -- but I wasn't sure my kids would eat it that way.)




1 onion, chopped
about 4 oz. mushrooms
some sauteed leeks
a couple of small bunches of tat soi, chopped
1/2 lb light red kidney beans, cooked
1/2 cup bulghur, soaked in 1 cup boiling water and then thoroughly drained
about 1/2 cup panko

I sauteed the onion and mushroom over medium high heat till browned and caramelized, then tossed in the tat soi. I took it off the heat and then combined it all except the panko and pulsed it in the processor, and then added in the panko to get it to cohere a bit better.

They shape better if the mixture is thoroughly chilled, but this is a step I often don't have time for, so I take what I can get! 20 minutes is better than none.



Oh, and I had my usual tough-skin issue with the beans. Bummer. They're not old, either. Maybe I should make more of an effort to soak them longer? But I think I'm just going to go with that salt-water soak thing. It may not be traditional (but I am just sure that somewhere on earth there's a culture that soaks/soaked their beans in seawater!!) but it does yield tender beans.