SMOKY BEET BURGERS

We are leaving for our trip in just over a week! I am so pumped. The anticipation is half the fun for me. In the spirit of leaving, I have been trying to use up the food we have so nothing goes to waste. This is a fun game for me, and leads to mostly vegetarian meals for Hugh. I'm priming his tum for all the croissants that are about to be consumed. I have so many suggestions for Paris, but if you have any favorite food/drink/walks/etc. in Antwerp or Amsterdam, I always appreciate tips from people who have been there.

I came across this recipe in an early copy of The New Persian Kitchen than comes out in a few weeks. I am a quick sell on homemade veggie burgers and find they are usually made with pantry staples and a few fresh items. Welcome to my fridge-elimination game, smoky beet burger! I've tried a generous number of veggie burgers now and learn something every time. First off, make more than you need. The leftovers make for an easy lunch, go great with some greens and an egg on top, or smashed and put in a wrap for a portable travel snack. When the recipe doesn't have breadcrumbs, be prepared to pay attention and handle the burgers deliberately. Eggs will bind, but they'll make you work for it. The texture and wetness of your mix should be similar to meat you would use for a regular burger. Even if you don't eat it, you know what it looks like, so at least you have a point of reference. If it looks too wet, flaxmeal, panko or a bit of coconut flour will help dry it. Personally, I like my mixture to have distinguishable chunks of the ingredients - no baby mash - so go easy on the processing. You want it pulsed just enough to stick together but lightly enough to appreciate the texture of say, the walnuts or bits of lentils here. It's unlike me to get persnickety on things like this, but I've made them enough times to have a list of mistakes, so I'm offering my two cents. A sweet and smoky vegetable-based burger is a good idea all notes aside. Congrats on a beautiful book, Louisa!

SMOKY BEET BURGERS // Makes 8

Recipe barely adapted from The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia

I wanted to provide the recipe as written in the book, but I will make a few notes here as well as in the directions. I made a quick feta spread, which is naturally salty, so I halved the salt called for in the recipe. Add a pinch more with no spread. As it goes with a gluten and dairy free veggie burger, these are VERY delicate. Keep them small and handle them delicately. I ended up adding an extra egg because I got pretty heavy handed with both the beets and the lentils and needed more binding power. If you're a good measurer, you should be fine with the one.

• 3 T. grapeseed/extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, very roughly chopped
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup grated beets
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tsp. sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup cooked green lentils
• 1 egg
• 2 cups cooked short grain brown (or white) rice

• // feta spread //
• 1 cup/ 8 oz. feta cheese
• 1/4 cup whole milk greek yogurt
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• few grinds fresh ground pepper

buns, sliced cucumber, microgreens, tomato for burger building

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and cook for about 10 minutes until just golden. Add the walnuts, raisins, beets, garlic and paprika and cook another 10 minutes, stirring often. Let the mix cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse a few times until chunky.

Put the mixture in a large bowl and stir in the salt, pepper and half the lentils. Replace the food processor (dirty is fine) and pulse the other half of the lentils, egg and rice together a few times to make a coarse puree. Note: Louisa has you add all the lentils whole to the mixture, I felt like some of them in the rice puree helps it all hold. Add the rice mixture to the onion mixture and mix well.

Make the feta spread by mixing all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Use lightly oiled hands to form 8-10 small patties just under 1'' thick.

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron over medium-high heat and add oil to coat the bottom. Place the burgers in the skillet (doing so in batches if necessary) and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. GENTLY flip the burgers, turn the heat down, cover and cook for 10 minutes until the burgers have a firm, brown crust.

Serve warm with your favorite condiments.

GLAZED BEET + CARROT SALAD

sprouted kitchen

I'm not cynical enough to believe that people don't keep their New Years resolutions. I admit to giving an eye roll with the regulars in my pilates class. It's true. It will be crowded for the next two months and then go back to normal, but setting goals is never a bad thing. It's motivating to make a promise to yourself and follow it through with your best intentions. To believe you are capable... which is sometimes the toughest part. This year, Hugh and I continued a tradition we started a few years back. We bundle up and head to the top of the highest hill in town that looks out at the Pacific coastline. It's our spot. It is the place we got engaged and also the home of our new-year-goal-sharing-session. I will chalk it up to the most vulnerable conversation we have all year. Sharing your hopes and dreams, maybe dissapointments from the year past, with the person who matters most to you, can be a heavy moment. Heavy in a way that fills your soul. 

Earlier in the day, I sectioned my lined paper into six categories and tried to use my best hand writing to make note of the big things I hope for 2013. And I don't use the term big lightly. My list didn't have things like learning to salsa dance or loose five pounds (not that those aren't respectable goals), it was composed of huge markers like buying a house, going on a big trip to Europe in the spring, starting another book and other such things. It almost felt like a fake list when I looked at it. It scares me just as much as it motivates me. This year we will strive to check the items off both of our lists. Maybe none of them. Maybe all of them if I can push the fear out of my head. Either way, while life continues to build on itself, it feels good to start fresh with an entire sparkly new year ahead. 

On the subject of lots of people at pilates, I believe it is the season for light salads. The one here is creamy from the tahini dressing and naturally sweet with the beets and carrots. If you're keeping away from dairy, tahini is the answer to a craving for creamy dressing. It's the perfect kind of thing to make a little extra of so you can pack it for lunch the next day.

I intended to write a whole foods focused detox plan for the site, but I waited too long. January is on its way and Hugh dug up my whipped cream maker and while we're finding reason to top anything slightly appropriate with the stuff, writing a detox plan just didn't feel right at the moment. I contributed to the Action Plan that comes out in Whole Living this month, and I am completely behind how they design their detox plan, so pick up the January/February issue and take a peek at that if you are looking for ideas. 

Dream big. Eat lettuce. I'm coming for you, 2013. 

sprouted kitchen

GLAZED BEET + CARROT SALAD // Serves 4

Inspired by Grace Parisi at Food + Wine

I changed the original recipe around because I had already roasted a bushel of beets (both red and yellow, hence the bleeding coloration of the beets in the photo). My recipe below reflects using beets that are already roasted, but you can click back to the original if you want to start with raw, baby beets. I also used full sized carrots and cut them down to a similar size of a young carrot. 

• 1/2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow beets, roasted and peeled, cut into 1/2'' wedges
• 3 carrots, halved, large halves quartered if needed
• sea salt + pepper
• 2 tsp. honey
• 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. tahini
• 1 Tbsp. orange or lemon juice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 12 cups mixed baby lettuces
• 1/3 cup cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, white or black or mixed

sprouted kitchen

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the carrots and beets and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring once or twice, until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the honey and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly glazed, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl to cool.

Whisk the remaining tablespoon of vinegar, tahini and citrus into the skillet along with the cumin and a generous pinch of the chopped parsley.

Toss the baby lettuces, remaining parsley and garbanzos with a light coating of the tahini dressing. Plate the greens and top with the carrots, beets and sprinkle the sesame seeds. Serve immediately. 

* You can prepare the salad a day in advance by making the carrots and beets as directed, and keeping them covered in the fridge overnight. The dressing can also be kept covered in the fridge for up to a week. Toss everything and assemble just before serving. 

sprouted kitchen

BEET GREEN CHOPPED SALAD

"Beet's concentrated jewel-like color is both its joy and its downfall. It is Murphy's law that it should marry so happily with the virginal white of goat cheeses, mascarpone, and thick puddles of creme fraiche, none of whose looks are improved by a pink stain curdling the outer edge" - Nigel Slater, Tender

I love them for their boldness. For their unmatched flavor and unapologetic way of making everything pink (when using the red ones), like Slater mentions. They are what they are, without reservation, a concept that I've been wrestling with on a personal/career level this past week. I likely sound nutty, but there are lessons to learn in the growing, cooking and serving of food aren't there?

Beet greens are not for the faint at heart. For years I threw them away, not knowing they were perfectly edible. They boast a subtle sweetness, assertive in their vegetable taste and along with that lovely essence of dirt that the whole beet has, leaving no person to waver on liking them or not. The greens beckon the same taste buds, someone who is not afraid of their vegetables tasting of vegetable. They are tough, kind of like swiss chard, but cook down as tender as any green, can wiggle themselves into frittatas or stand up well in a green salad with a bold dressing. I like to chop mine pretty small, and would even go so far to say that I like when they have some time to marinate in the dressing before I dig in, as they have a certain sturdiness to them. This is another one of those salads that can sit in the fridge for a couple days to snack on, take to work, add a protein to, and will travel well. It's not for everyone, and you could use any other salad green if you just want to stick with the roasted beets sans greens. 

BEET GREEN CHOPPED SALAD // Serves 4 as a side

1 bunch of beets, including fresh looking greens

olive oil for cooking

4 scallions, white and light green parts

1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa

1 small avocado, diced

1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

// tahini dressing //

2 Tbsp. tahini

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1-2 tsp. agave nectar, depending on desired sweetness

3 Tbsp. water, or as needed

hefty pinch of salt and pepper

1 clove of garlic finely minced

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 450'.

Cut the greens from the beets at their stem. Rub a bit of olive oil on the skin of the beets, sprinkle with salt and wrap them all in a foil pack. Set on the middle oven rack and cook for 45-55 minutes until you can easily piece through with a knife. Set them aside to cool.

While the beets roast, clean and dry the greens. Chop off and discard the long red stems. Chop the greens and put them in a large mixing bowl. 

To prepare the dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, agave and water. Mix in the garlic, hearty pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Add more water if you prefer it thinner. Mix in the chives. Adjust to your taste and set aside. 

Once the beets are cool enough to touch, you should be able to just push the skin off with your fingers. Use a paring knife to help it along. Dice the peeled beets. Thinly slice the scallions. Add the beets, scallions, quinoa and avocado to the mixing bowl and toss with a generous amount of dressing (note: the salad will turn pink from the beets. If this bothers you, you can toss everything without the diced beets, and sprinkle them on top). Sprinkle in the sunflower seeds, give it one more toss.

I prefer mine to sit a few minutes before digging in. Will keep up in the fridge for two days.