Monday, January 12, 2009

Veggie Burgers, and, Some Other Stuff

Silly tree, it's not spring yet. But, it was a gorgeous day here in the Bay Area today.

Here is the veggie/bean burger recipe. God, I suck at food photography. Well, what are you going to do with veggie burger mix. It's not very beautiful.


My Version Of Mark Bittman's Veggie/Bean Burgers

* 2 cups well-cooked white, black, or red beans or chickpeas or lentils, or one 14-ounce can, drained
* 1 medium onion, quartered

* 1/2 package defrosted, drained frozen spinach

* 1 TBLS tomato paste

* 1 TBLS soy sauce

* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/2 cup regular rolled oats
* 1 tablespoon chili powder or spice mix of your choice (I used chili powder and curry powder)
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 egg

1. Combine everything in a food processor and pulse until chunky but not puréed. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes.

2. With wet hands, shape into whatever size patties you want. Film the bottom of a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with oil and turn the heat to medium. A minute later, add the patties. Cook until nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes; turn carefully and cook on the other side until firm and browned.

3. Serve on buns with the usual burger fixings. Or cool and refrigerate or freeze for later use.

These were really good. We put lots of BBQ sauce on them and had garlic fries with them. Garlic fries make everything better.

**

In other news, I had a very good art day yesterday. On the new table. I looooove it.

Here is my new little studio/dining room. It's still a little messy from moving in, haven't found places for everything yet. Please note the 'baroque' tablecloth.

The beginnings of the Red Owl painting. It's a little spooky right now. I hope it stays that way. I haen't put in Mr. Owl yet. He'll come later.


A closeup of the trees. I like this texture thing. I'd like to do a series with this sort of texturizing and color play.


I'll keep you updated on the progress. I always like it when people post progress on creative items because all you ever see is the finished product, and I'm always like, wow. It just came out like that, all perfect. I like to see the steps people take, the mistakes, and how they fix them (or work with them). I hope to start doing more documenting of this on here.

10 comments:

babybuddhalover said...

I have to post on your dining room table. It is beautiful!! I can absolutely understand why you are in love with it. Can't wait to see the owl!

Daphne said...

Thank you! I totally love it. I feel so grown-up.

Shea said...

That is one good lookin' table!

Eva said...

Loved everything about this post! The recipe, the table, the art...and food photography is so bloody difficult, I'm in awe of those gorgeous food blogs out there.

Kate said...

Love the table! Love it! It's amazing what a dining room table can do, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

i love the table. its beautiful.

and im excited to try the veggie burger recipe. I havent had a lot of luck making my own.

Daphne said...

Shea: thanks! I like it. Um, a lot.

Eva: you are too cute. And yes, food photography is difficult, especially when you have food on your hands and are in a hurry to get it in the oven or whatever. Hmm. Maybe I should change my methods...

Kate: it makes a HUGE difference!

Tammie: good luck! It's actually better the second day (I should have said that). You can also add a little falafel mix to firm it up if it's too mushy. Load it up with lots of condiments. :)

Ana S. said...

I love the table! And the flowers are so pretty. And I look forward to seeing more pictures of your project! I also love it when the progress of a work of art is documented.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful table! I like your red owl painting too. The tree is amazing. It is paint, right? It looks like tiny buttons in the photo. The texture is really fantastic.

Daphne said...

Nymeth: thank you! it's fun to document the process. And it keeps me motivated.

Stefanie: glad you like it! It is paint, acrylic. But buttons are an intriguing idea...