Strawberry Pepper

It goes without saying that it’s a cold, windy, blizzardy day in Chicago. Most of us are stranded at home, or at least pretended that we were to avoid the trek to work. And Leila, my beautiful sister and fellow blog writer, came for a visit. As it wasn’t the best day to venture out into the city, we stayed at home and made burgers to remind us of warm summer nights spent out in the backyard. Actually growing up we didn’t grill outside that frequently, but burgers make a great summer backyard meal, and so it’s close enough.

I bought a bunch of rainbow chard last week, and had come up with a burger recipe to use it in. Today’s snow day was the perfect time to stay home and make the burgers. I was super happy with the way the burgers came out, nutty and rich, with a hint of lemony tang. The burgers were surprisingly filling, and despite their delicious flavor and my voracious appetite I was unable to eat more than one and a half!

Make yourself some of these easy burgers, curl up on your couch in front of the fire and enjoy some time off. Even if you aren’t living in the stormy winter-land areas, or aren’t getting the day off, make these easy burgers anyway and be glad you’re not having to deal with giant snow drifts.

Rainbow Chard Burgers
10 burgers

1 15oz can navy beans, rinsed
2 tsp canola oil
1 bunch chard
1 onion, diced finely
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup walnut pieces
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (opt.)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs
canola oil spray

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mash the navy beans. Some larger chunks are okay.
2. Wash the chard, remove the stalks from the leaves. Finely dice the stalks and chop the leaves, keeping separate. Over medium heat, saute 1/2 cup of the diced stalks in 1 tsp of oil for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped leaves and saute an additional 10 minutes, until the leaves wilted. Add to the beans.
3. Add the second tsp of oil and saute the onion for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Add to bean and chard mixture.
4. Grind the walnuts in a food processor. Some larger chunks are okay, as they will add texture. Add to the bean mixture.
5. Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper into the bean mixture. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. You want the mixture to clump, not be too wet, and have the burgers to form into firm patties. If needed add the additional bread crumbs.
7. Take 1/3 cup of the mixture and press into a patty between your hands. Spray a pre-heated skillet, and cook the patties over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, flipping half way through. Patties should brown nicely, do not let them burn.