I made a recipe for a client today that was so delicious, I feel compelled to share. I wish I had brought my camera on the job today, to take a picture, but alas, I didn’t. And while I found a photo of these very veggie burgers on another blog, it says it’s copyrighted, so I won’t use it here.

Now before you think: “she’s getting all excited about veggie burgers?” and move on to “Serious Eats,” or “Amateur Gourmet,” or whomever, hold on.  (You can check out those great sites afterwards.) These veggie burgers are something else. They have beets. They have carrots. They have sunflower seeds and cheddar cheese(!) They are some of the best damn veggie burgers I’ve ever had.

But first, a few words about the lucky clients who will eat them for dinner tonight. I probably shouldn’t admit this publicly, but I have a favorite household I cook for. It’s kind of funny, since I’ve met them only once. But there are several reasons why.

1) I love their kitchen. It is big and light. It is so well-stocked, that I only have to pick up a few things before I come. It is easy to clean. They have Pyrex dishes in almost every size, so storing food is simple. They have a small radio mounted under a countertop, so I can listen to NPR while I work. While they don’t have a Viking range or anything that fancy, they have every gadget I could possibly need and a Kenmore Elite range, which makes me think of “Top Chef.” Before I begin, I hear Padma Lakshmi’s voice in my head, telling me that I have 3o minutes to complete the challenge in the Kenmore Kitchen which, of course, is utter nonsense.

2) They belong to the same CSA I do. Before I cook for this family (a dad, a mom and two little kids) I check with them to see which veggies they haven’t used. And as an added bonus, the woman usually leaves most things I need out on one of the counters, so I don’t have to go hunting all over the place.

3) They have a sweet black dog named Tovah (yes, of course they’re Jewish) that sometimes sits at my feet, waiting for a scrap to fall. I was told she especially loves cucumbers, but I’ve yet to make something with them, so often, she just goes and lies in the sun, on the couch, by the living room window.

4) They have never complained about a single thing I’ve made. In almost a full year of being a personal chef, I’ve had my share of complaints, mostly that something is too spicy, or that fish is a bit undercooked (I admit, I do tend to leave fish undercooked a bit, because it must be reheated, and the danger of my clients overcooking it is high).

5) They always pay right on time.

Just as I have my favorite clients, I also have my favorite cookbooks. I’m sure every cook does. I tend to go in phases though, and right now, I’m really, really enjoying Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables. 

For those who don’t know, Farmer John is John Peterson, the farmer of Angelic Organics, one of the largest CSAs in the country with over 1200 subscribers. Farmer John has been the subject of a documentary called “The Real Dirt on Farmer John,” which I have yet to see, but I will. A photo of him on the cover shows him in overalls, a straw hat and holding a pitchfork, typical for a farmer, except for the red feather boa around his neck.

I got the cookbook recently, and have since bought it for two others as gifts.  It’s a great resource for all those veggies in your box that you may not know what to do with, or just need new inspiration for.  The book is not only a cookbook, though, there are lots of anecdotes about the farm and the CSA, many of which are written by members.

This week, I knew my client had some beets and carrots to use up, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. Luckily for me, I ended up with 11 burgers, because they looked so delicious, that I had to eat one myself (shhhhh).

I should add that as lately I have been concerned about how much soy I consume, I love this recipe because it is for a veggie burger that has protein, but no soy. It has eggs, cheese and sunflower seeds, which all have protein. And for those who don’t like fried foods, they are baked. You can’t get much healthier than this. Here’s the recipe:
 

Baked Beet and Carrot Burgers with Brown Rice, Sunflower Seeds and Cheddar Cheese

From “Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables.”
½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups peeled, grated beets (2 medium beets)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)
½ cup minced onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup vegetable oil*
½ cup finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons flour*
2 tablespoons tamari
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.

3. Return the skillet to the heat and add the sunflower seeds. Stir them until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to the dish with the sesame seeds.

4. Combine the beets, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the sunflower and sesame seeds, eggs, rice, cheese, oil, flour, parsley, tamari and garlic (your hands work best here). Add cayenne and mix until thoroughly combined.

5. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 patties and arrange them in rows on the baking sheet.

6. Bake the patties until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Unless they are very large and thick, it should not be necessary to turn them. Serve alone or on buns.

I used half the amount of oil and more flour than the recipe called for. Bread crumbs could also be added to help bind the patties.  And a word of warning: mixing and shaping the patties by hand will cause you to look like you killed someone when you are through. Luckily, beet juice comes off skin easily.

B’tai Avon!

Purchase your copy of Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables.

Fancy yourself a documentary buff? Purchase The Real Dirt on Farmer John movie.