Yuuuummmmyyy...

We have an amazing East Indian grocery store across the street from my apartment, so I wandered over and lost myself in all the exotica.  I decided to make some veggie/vegan burgers and wanted to get some incredible spices as well as some mung beans and lentils to soak overnight, for tomorrow's burger recipe.  Tonight, however, it's going to be more of a "quick", mushroom/brown rice affair (this is not that quick, really, even though a lot of the ingred. are pre-cooked).  Here's how it goes, and how it went : )

SPICY VEGAN VEGGIE BURGERS

INGREDIENTS:

Trader Joe's fully pre-cooked Wild Rice
Trader Joe's pre-cooked organic Brown Rice
Trader Joe's can of Garbanzo Beans
Trader Joe's ground Flax Seeds
Portabella (also called Portobello) Mushrooms
Crimini Mushrooms
5 cloves of Garlic
Half an Onion
1 Zucchini
2 organic Carrots
1 Box of "Chana Masala" spice blend.  (Contains: coriander, salt, dry mango, pomegranate seeds, chilli, cumin, musk melon, black pepper, black salt, fenugreek leaves, cloves, mint, nutmeg, dry ginger, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom seeds, caraway & mace).
Water &/or Veggie Broth
A handful of roasted or raw pepitas, or sunflower seeds, or crushed cashews
Salt
Olive Oil
3 or more TBSP of Brown Rice Flour or Garbanzo Bean Flour
Burger fixins: lettuce, tomatoes, whatever spread you like, whichever kind of bun you prefer; alternately, you can also just serve the patties with some heated Trader Joe's Masala sauce, and a side of mixed greens.  Finally, you can also make a super delicious wrap by adding the patties, fresh avocado, sprouts and some sauteed garlic and portabella mushrooms to an organic corn tortilla!!  Beyond yummy!

DIRECTIONS:

*Use about 1/4 of the wild rice package, plus one of the brown rice packets and empty into a saucepan with a bit of salt and either water or veggie broth - just enough liquid to cover the rice.  It really only needs to heat through, but I let it overcook a bit so it's easier to work with in the patties. I guess I let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
*Fill a little bowl with about 2 TBSP of ground flaxseeds and probably 6 or 7 TBSP of water; mix and set aside to let it thicken.  You may need to add a bit more water if the paste is too thick, like nut butter.  You kind of want it to be the consistency of egg whites, since they are essentially substituting for eggs in the recipe.
*Mince mushrooms and zucchini, & grate the carrots (squeeze the carrots when done to release most of the water) -- and set aside
*Drain the can of garbanzos and use about 1/3 to 1/2 the can.  Mash or chop the garbanzos, set aside.
*Mince onion & garlic, and sautee w/olive oil in a large frying pan for a bit, taking care not to brown the garlic or onions.  Add a generous sprinkling of the spice blend, mix well.
*Add in the garbanzos and mushroom & veggie mixture.  Add more of the spice blend - to your liking - I probably used about 3 TBSP.  Mix well and sautee for about 5 or 6 mins, til the zucchini starts to soften.
*The rice should be ready by now, meaning it should be soft and the water should have reduced.  Add it to the frying pan and mix well.
*Add in whatever nuts you might be using.
*Add salt to your liking.
*Turn off the heat and let it sit for a couple of minute, then spread it out on a large dish to help it cool.
*Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding either more salt or spice blend.
*When it's relatively cool, add the flaxseed paste and mix it up well.  This should serve to make it hold together.
*Cover and refrigerate for probably 20 mins.
*Take mixture out of fridge and mix the flour in.  It should get nice and thick-paste like.  Form patties and dip  them in a bit more flour.
*Fry them in olive oil, letting them brown on each side.
*Serve as burgers, or as patties with mixed greens, or chopped in a wrap.  Mmmmmmm :-)

Voila!