NuM NuM

I've been feeling very inspired in the kitchen lately and have been on a cooking rampage - as you can tell. I've gotten some phone calls from my friends asking, "Is EVERYTHING you make good?! When are you going to make it for me?" Now, I don't want to be known as the girl who cried, "num num" about every dish I make and discredited in anyway, but everything I put on this blog really is that good. Since I live to eat, I ABSOLUTELY LOATHE when I make anything that turns out like crap. Therefore I scour the Internet for only the best recipes. And since I don't like to make the same thing twice, I'll only post about things that I'd make again and again because they were that good or have a lot potential to tweek and become GREAT. Mind you, I've had plenty of my shares of disasters, I just choose to spare you from all the disappointments that come out of my kitchen. Like that disgusting apple chutney that still haunts me to this day. Of course it had to have happened when I had guests over...lovely. So I hope you'll continue to read the Num Num and make many of the dishes that come out of this blog...the whopping five of you that follow me through my cooking ventures :)

Anyway on to the burgers. Per request of the lobster we had veggie burgers tonight. These were a nice change from our regular meat burgers and were healthy to boot. Since they were made with garbanzo beans the taste and texture are similar to what would happen if a falafel married hummus. We topped these patties with roasted red peppers, alfalfa sprouts for some crunch and slathered the bread with a garlic, lime, and cilantro aioli which packed an extra punch from the raw garlic flavor. They were quite tasty and made a nice, light dinner.

**You can revamp these burgers anyway you likey. You can turn them Indian by adding curry and garam masala or make them Asian and spicy by adding garlic, ginger, and scallions with a Sambal Oelek (spicy chili-garlic) or Sriracha aioli. The variations are endless!!


Veggie Burger
Adapted from 101 cookbooks
4 servings

1 can garbanzo beans(chickpeas)drained and rinsed
1 roasted red pepper
1 jalapeno
2 large eggs (I would try with one egg next time)
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
3 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 onion, chopped
Grated zest of one large lemon
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)
1/2 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

Split peppers in half, de-seed and broil cut side down for 12 minutes. Place in zip-lock bag. Seal and let steam for 15 minutes until you can easily peel the skin off the peppers. Reserve red pepper for topping burgers and place jalapeno, garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl. Sautee onion and let cool then add to mixing bowl along with cilantro, zest, and sprouts and mix to combine. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into four 1 1/2-inch-thick patties.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium high, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and pop under broiler if you want them more crispy. Place on bread and top with roasted red pepper and aioli sauce.

**Cook these in a hot smokin' cast iron skillet and they get a great sear and become nice and crunchy
**You can also opt out into making these into burgers and just eat them as patties with the aioli.


Garlic, Lime, Cilantro Aioli
1/2 garlic
1/8 cup Mayo and 1/8 cup Sour Cream (I used more sour cream)
Lime Juice
Salt
Minced cilantro

Put mayo and sour cream in bowl, add grated garlic some lime juice, about a tablespoon of cilantro and salt to taste. This is more of a method rather then exact ingredients. I just eyeballed the ingredients and seasoned to taste.