Vegetable, Rice and Nut Burgers with Tomato Salsa

Description

A nutty alternative to the typical burger!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 8 ounces mixed mushrooms such as shiitake, cremini, portobello (shiitake will add the depth of umami), diced
• 1 teaspoon chopped sage leaves
• ½ cup grated carrot or butternut squash
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ½ cup finely chopped nuts of choice
• 2 cups cooked rice (brown, black forbidden or short grain)
• Juice and zest of ½ lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• ½ cup mixed nuts, processed to a fine powder (or buy nut meal, such as almond or hazelnut)
• Ciabatta buns, Dijon mustard, arugula and plain Greek yogurt, to serve.

Tomato Salsa

• 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, diced macadamias and/or walnuts

Instructions

1. Combine salsa ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat half the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the shallot, mustard and cumin seeds and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sage, and sauté until soft and browned, 4-5 minutes, adding more oil if needed.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, squeezing off any excess moisture.
3. Place the sautéed shallot, mushrooms, nuts, rice and ½ of the panko in a food processor. Pulse until just combined, but still coarse.  Add carrot, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and pulse just to mix in. Season to taste.
4. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in ¼ cup panko. Test to see if mixture holds together to form burgers.  If too wet, add more panko.
5. Combine remaining panko with nut meal.  Shape mixture into 4 burgers and roll in crumbs. Place them on a large plate, cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
6. Heat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with remaining oil and cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes each side or until golden brown and crisp.
7. While burgers are cooking, grill or toast cut sides of brioche, spread with Dijon and place lettuce on base. Top with a burger and a dollop of yogurt.  Spoon a mound of tomato salsa on top, add the top bun and serve right away.