While looking over websites with cheap recipes I found a recipe for a bulgur-cashew veggie burger and thought it seemed simple enough. I went to the grocery story and low and behold there was no bulgur at the East Harlem Target. Instead of searching elsewhere I did a quick search for other veggie burger recipes and found that couscous is often used as the grain. I was also buying bread crumbs for another recipe so thought I could use those if need be. The first recipe required cashews, but another recipe suggested sunflower seeds. The container of sunflower seeds was $4 cheaper so that decision was easy. Some recipes called for lentils and some for pinto beans so I went with the one that would take up less space it the cupboard; there are limits.
So, home I went with a variety of ingredients that fit no recipes, but I figured it could only go so wrong.
I bought: Lentils, Sunflower Seeds, Couscous, Bread Crumbs, Eggs
I had: A tiny bit of left-over uncooked spinach, Garlic [that was added to the second batch], Onion, French Dried Onion [for the second batch when I ran out of onion], Frozen peas, corn, carrots, and beans, Cumin, Salt, Pepper
I cooked the couscous as directed and boiled the lentils. After pureeing the lentils, an egg and sunflower seeds in the ever-so-fabulous Magic Bullet until they were "a paste I added them to the couscous. I mixed in veggies and seasonings. Since I had cooked the whole box of couscous I just added bits of each thing until it looked like I could make patties. I made 4 and refrigerated them, waiting impatiently for them to be cool; I didn't want to use up the rest of the couscous until I knew they tasted deliciously.
The "recipe" was a success, but needed a little something so I added my safety ingredient: garlic to the second batch. By this time I was so full from snacking on the couscous and the first burger that I decided against making one from the second recipe... I'm optimistic for tomorrow.
Nom, nom, nom <3
So, home I went with a variety of ingredients that fit no recipes, but I figured it could only go so wrong.
I bought: Lentils, Sunflower Seeds, Couscous, Bread Crumbs, Eggs
I had: A tiny bit of left-over uncooked spinach, Garlic [that was added to the second batch], Onion, French Dried Onion [for the second batch when I ran out of onion], Frozen peas, corn, carrots, and beans, Cumin, Salt, Pepper
I cooked the couscous as directed and boiled the lentils. After pureeing the lentils, an egg and sunflower seeds in the ever-so-fabulous Magic Bullet until they were "a paste I added them to the couscous. I mixed in veggies and seasonings. Since I had cooked the whole box of couscous I just added bits of each thing until it looked like I could make patties. I made 4 and refrigerated them, waiting impatiently for them to be cool; I didn't want to use up the rest of the couscous until I knew they tasted deliciously.
The "recipe" was a success, but needed a little something so I added my safety ingredient: garlic to the second batch. By this time I was so full from snacking on the couscous and the first burger that I decided against making one from the second recipe... I'm optimistic for tomorrow.
Nom, nom, nom <3
