burger demolition

Over the summer I've been choosing veggie burgers more often than usual when I've gone out to burger places than I ever have before. Ordering a veggie burger is always risky- sometimes they are great, and full of flavorful veggies and beans- but other times its an overcooked, formerly frozen, grocery store burger for $10. That being said, I decided if lots of places can make their own awesome veggie burgers, how hard could it be? 

So, I searched for a bean based burger and came up with this burger... made with pinto beans and corn as the base. Smelled and looked great as I made them. I followed the recipe almost exactly except that I used fresh corn, parsley (instead of cilantro- it's what was in the garden),  whole wheat panko bread crumbs, and Greek yogurt (for sour cream). These swaps are all so close, I'd consider them harmless. The mixture made A LOT- 6 large burgers worth- and I stuck the formed burgers in the fridge for about 1 hour because the reviews said that extra refrigeration helps keep them together in the pan.

All was going well. Until the burgers hit the pan. Most stayed together but two fell apart- until I attempted to flip the burgers. Then it was all over... enter pinto bean and corn mush (kind of looks like ground beef though)...

MAJOR FAIL. But only in form. The cooked mix tasted delicious and I couldn't let all my work go to waste on a perfectly edible mix. So, I decided this was the perfect salad topping for work. throw in some tomatoes, avocado, and grilled zucchini/squash and it's a full dinner.

Only thing left? A delicious dressing.

Jalapeno-Lime Dressing 

(4  dinner salad servings)

2 cloves crushed garlic

handful fresh mint, chopped

1 jalapeno, minced and partially seeded

juice of 2 limes

3 TBSP EVOO

dash of agave 

salt + pepper

To make the dressing, whisk first five dressing ingredients together. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Balance tartness of lime juice with agave syrup (honey or sugar work too). Note: I like heat and use 1/3 of the jalapeno seeds. Go light if you don't know how many to use- you can always add more. 

Off to the last work night of the week. Had a great day yesterday tubing on the Delaware river with Tim, Liza, Colin, and Liam for Tim's 21st. Tried to do a brick workout after, but only had time for 40 minutes of biking. Gotta let things like that go- life is too short to stress over a silly training schedule, now more a training "guide"since today I swam 20, instead of the slated 25. I was NOT in a workout mood for some reason today, so I just made sure I did more than the 1/2 mile race distance and got out when I couldn't stand it anymore.

Birthday festivities continue tomorrow with dinner at Satis and then out for the night- can't wait! Happy 21 little bro. 1/4 can now hit the bars with me. :)

Busy weekend ahead- not sure how posting will go- but I will try. Later days.