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Easy Veggie Burgers

Easy Veggie Burgers (No Beans) with Spicy Cilantro Cream

A wonderful, easy veggie burger packed with whole grains, beets, onions, garlic, and spices. Served with Spicy Cilantro Cream sauce. Perfect for grilling, baking in the oven, or pan frying.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings: 13 burgers
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Veggie Burgers
  • 2 1/4 cups cooked rice (I like to use arborio or bomba rice).
  • 1 cup rolled old-fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup panko or breadcrumbs
  • 2 cups roasted beets, cubed
  • 2 tbsp ground flax seed
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 4 stalks green onion, sliced (or substitute 1/2 yellow onion)
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
  • 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
Spicy Cilantro Cream
  • 1/3 cup cashews
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
  • 2 whole Calabrian chilis or 1-2 tsp of chopped chilis to taste.
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • salt to taste

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Lined baking sheet

Method
 

Veggie Burgers
  1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix ground flax seed and 1/3 cup of water and let sit for 5 minutes.
  3. To a large bowl, add cooked rice, oats, sesame seeds if using, and panko.
  4. To a blender add flax egg, roasted beets, garlic, onions, soy sauce, liquid smoke, baking soda, parsley, and Aleppo pepper. Pulse a few times. You want the mixture to be chunky and not pureed.
  5. Transfer mixture from the blender to the bowl with the cooked rice, oats, and panko and stir to combine.
  6. Spray a 1/3 sized measuring cup with a bit of olive oil. Using the measuring cup, scoop veggie burger mixture and place each burger on a lined baking tray. Use the palm of your hand to gently and slightly flatten the burgers.
  7. Bake 20 minutes on each side. Optional: after baking air-fry or pan-fry for a minute or two for extra crispiness. Serve with cilantro cream sauce!
  8. Store leftover burgers in the refrigerator or freezer.
Spicy Cilantro Cream Sauce
  1. Soak cashews in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain.
  2. Add drained cashews and remaining ingredients to a blender. Process until smooth. If needed add a bit of water to get the blades moving.
  3. Store sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Notes

*If roasting beets at home: remove ends of beets and wrap each beet in foil. Roast in oven at 450 degrees until easily pierced by a fork.
*To cook arborio rice: Add 1 cup of dry rice to a large pot. Add 8 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 18 minutes. Drain.
To save time, you can purchase roasted beets and microwavable rice.