Beans & Rice Veggie Burgers

Me: Babe, I am going to make you veggie-burgers from scratch tonight!

Him: I am pretty sure you are confused.  You are making YOU veggie-burgers from scratch tonight, and I just happen to be around to eat them.

Yeah, pretty much.

Me: But they have beans and rice in them, your favorite.  You will like them, I promise.

Him: Beans and rice?  What about meat?  Of course I like beans and rice... but with meat.

This boy, he's a smart one...

Him (as we are eating): Well, it doesn't taste like meat...

Me: It's not supposed to.  It's a VEGGIE-burger, remember?

Him (taking another bite): ... but it tastes good, and I actually like them.  You can make these again and I won't complain.  I mean, as long as we can have real burgers sometimes.

:)

(As a long-time connoisseur of veggie-burgers, I must say, I was quite impressed with these.  If you are looking for a good VEGGIE burger, here you go.  And if you like regular meat in your burgers, well, my husband AKA eater-of-all-things-meat gives you the proof -- they aren't too shabby!)

Beans & Rice Veggie Burgers

Adapted from Everyday Food, June 2012

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh pinto beans OR 2 cans, rinsed and drained
• 1 3/4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
• 1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 bunch green onions
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil, divided

• 8 hamburger buns
• Toppings, such as mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, avocado, tomato, cheese, and cucumber or whatever you want!

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mash beans until a coarse paste forms. Add rice, breadcrumbs, green onions, eggs, and garlic salt; gently fold to combine. Form into eight 3/4-inch patties.
2. In a large skillet, heat half the oil over medium-high; add half the patties and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Place on plate in oven on 170 to keep warm. Serve burgers on buns with desired toppings.

COST: $7.07 (including buns and condiments)
Cost per burger (8): $0.89

Weekly Menu: January 2

Happy 2012, Friends! 

To start off this new year I am going to try to add something new here.  Since I already go through the work of making a weekly menu + grocery list for us, I have decided why not share it?  I know most of the time you will not need it, but just in case you think, "Man, I am so tired and I can't think of anything I want to cook for this week..." well, you won't have to.  It will all be right here.  And for those who don't cook because they never have any ideas... this is for you, too.  The grocery list attached will have everything you need to make these meals happen at your house.  And chances are, you probably have lot of stuff on the list anyway, cutting the list to a much smaller size.  Just buy the rest of the stuff, click on the links to take you to the recipe, and Happy Cooking!

Hawaiian meatballs w/ rice
Salad

Creamy Asparagus Soup with Chicken Sausage (optional)

Bread & Butter

Penne Pasta with Marinara Sauce  (NO LINK, but it is easy.  You can figure it out :)

Bruschetta (basically, toasted sourdough with chopped up tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt & pepper mixture on top)

Salad

Chicken Piccata with Mashed Potatoes   (NEW RECIPE... click HERE)

*Note- the recipe I am using calls for chicken broth instead of white wine.  Use either.

Roasted Zucchini & Squash

Basil Burgers (AKA Tiffany Burgers)

PRODUCE

1 1/2 bunch asparagus

1 zucchini

2 yellow squash

4 small potatoes

1 leek

garlic

1 lemon

1 onion

fresh basil

tomatoes

parsley

4 large potatoes

salad base (lettuce or spinach) and extra fixings

MEAT

2 8-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

meatballs (of any kind; I get turkey)

chicken sausage (optional)

1 lb. ground beef

DAIRY

butter

milk

mayo

Greek yogurt - 6 oz.

OTHER

soyaki (or soy sauce w/ minced garlic)

can of pineapple chunks

rice

chicken bullion

sourdough bread

hamburger buns

penne pasta

marinara sauce

capers

Italian seasoned bread crumbs

garlic salt

ketchup

mustard

The Tiffany Burger

I make the best burgers.

THE BEST.

And I am not one to brag about my cooking too much.  I mean, really, I can cook, you have all seen evidence of that.  My food is pretty good.  It is tasty, for sure.  Tasty and brag-worthy are two very different things. But my burgers?  They are off the hook.  I have been told that they are better than In-n-Out Burgers on more than one occasion by more than one person.  For those of you that do not know, that is pretty much the highest compliment a burger can have... at least in my book. 

Here is the thing: In-n-out burgers are amazing because the meat is juicy, yes, but mostly because of what they put ON their burgers.  They have this amazing sauce, fresh ingredients, bread made fresh and not dry.  For fast food, In-n-Out is king.  Shoot, for food in general In-n-Out is king.

The thing that makes my burgers so good is not really what I put on them, but what I put IN them.  Wanna see what I am talking about?

There you have it: The Tiffany Burger.  (Not to be confused with burgers made of Tiffany...)

So, what's the secret?  Ketchup and onions, garlic and salt (or garlic salt...), breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and the best ingredient: chopped up basil leaves.  Wowser, this thing kicks some serious burger-booty.  Build it on a simple bun with your basic condiments, the ketchup/mayo/mustard variety, and top with cheese, tomatoes, and more basil.  I don't even flatten them in a real way, I just kind of mix all the ingredients, grab a handful, smoosh just enough to make flat-ish, and throw them in the pan.  Or the grill.  Anyway you do it will pretty much yield the same result: mind-blowing.  A treat for your taste buds, to say the least.

There you have it, my total bragging about my food.  You know what?  I don't even feel ashamed of this unabashed boasting of my skills.  Try one tonight, and you will see for yourself.

Paulo can't have just one... but they are so filling that his belly probably wishes he could.

COST = $7.95        PER SERVING (4) = $2