Galadriel’s Garden Burger (aka Lady of the Woods Burger)

Since we are now into burger season 2011, I’ve decided to start to an experiment.  I will trial and error my way to creating an ultimate veggie burger recipe.

So here is Veggie Burger Trial 1 (VBT#1): the Galadriel. I based the pattie on a recipe found in Quinoa 365:  The Everyday Superfood.

For those unfamiliar with QUINOA: 

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily in South America.  Due to its superior nutritional qualities, it has become increasingly more common here in the northern hemisphere.

What are these superior qualities quinoa you ask? 

Experts consider quinoa to be the closest to a complete natural food source: it possesses everything that a human body needs.  It is a great source of protein as it contains all eight essential amino acids…a complete plant-based protein source!  Quinoa is also gluten free and a source of energy rich complex carbohydrates. 

This burger received the name Galadriel Garden Burger (aka Lady of the Woods Burger) because my love of the Lord of the Rings has recently been resurrected after watching a short clip from Peter Jackson and his making of the hobbit.  Galadriel was the royal elf (aka The Lady of the Woods) that was played by Cate Blanchett in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Each burger was topped with caramelized onion cheddar (from Vincenzo’s), raw sunflower seeds, sunflower sprouts, and homemade mustard.  This burger pairs nicely with Belgian beer, pickled beets, toasted orzo salad, and any of the director’s cuts of LOTR films.

Methods:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1/4 dried green lentils
• 1.5 cups of water

• 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup panko (japanese bread crumbs)
• one can of chickpeas
• 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup of finely chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 tsp of crushed black pepper

Steps:

1. Combine the quinoa, lentils, and water in a small pot and bring to a aboil.  Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes (until the lentils are tender).  Remove from heat and cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine the all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Shape mixture into patties (1/2 cup each), place them on a greased baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
3. Serve with fresh burger buns (home made are the best!), carmelized onion cheddar, raw sunflower seeds, sunflower sprouts, and spicy/tangy mustard.

Overall, VBT#1:  The Galandriel Garden Burger was good, but not the Ultimate.  Like most veggie burgers, it fell apart easily and was smooth but mushy.  The cheese, mustard, and sunflower seeds/sprouts topping combination added a freshness that requires replication (soooo good!).

Quick Final Quinoa Fact:  NASA is considers quinoa as a possible crop when developing Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems for long-duration manned spaceflights.

The Great Slider Showdown of 2010: Mini Burgerfied Scrumptiousness

Welcome to the first official Scrumptiocity post of 2011. Due to excessive holiday-related eating and resulting laziness, we have been unable to post any material yet in this new year. However, we have an oldie but a goody from late 2010 to share. Once we’ve unpacked all the new kitchen gadgets and finished the last of the Christmas chocolate we’ll be sure to hit you with some brand new new-year’s recipes.

Every now and then, when you get a craving, you just have to roll with it.  Sometimes you can take it to the extreme, sometimes you bring it down to the mini.  To fulfill a serious hamburger craving that Jes and I developed, we decided to have the Great Slider Showdown of 2010.

If you aren’t familiar, a slider is a small greasy beef burger in a small bun, made famous by American establishments such as White Castle.  According to burger historians, the name slider may have originated aboard U.S. Navy ships, due to the way greasy burgers slid across the galley grill while they sailed the seas.

So, on a Friday night after a long week slaving away in a digital landscape, came a showdown for the record books.  For the contest, all burger patties were created equal, made from fresh ground beef from one of my favourite butchers.  Same goes for the buns, all were standard white bread slider buns.  The only place where these mini-burgers differed was in the way they were dressed.  Who will be the winner?

The contestants:

• The Cuban Munchkin: dill pickle, Serrano ham, Russian mustard, chopped red onion, and cabra al vino (Spanish goat cheese soaked in red wine)
• Asian Mushroom Super Slider: shitake mushrooms in a honey garlic glaze, bean sprouts, green onions
• Tri-Onion Tidbit: stacks of balsamic caramelized sweet onion, raw thinly sliced red onion, crispy-fried onions, Canadian brie cheese

The Cuban Munchkin

This little guy does not take a whole lot of effort to pull together.  Grab the bun and start it all off with slices of a good quality  (crunchy) kosher dill pickle and top that with diced red onion.  Place the burger patty on top and cover it with slices or shreds of the cabra al vino.  After that, all that’s left is to layer the dry-cure Spanish ham, smother some Russian mustard on the bun, and chow down.

The Asian Mushroom Super Slider

To start this slider, heat some oil in a pan and toss in some sliced shitake mushrooms. Then whisk together a tablespoon each of soy sauce, honey, and hoisin sauce with a healthy dash of sesame oil and a smashed clove of garlic. Add the mixture to the mushrooms and cook until soft and delicious-smelling. On the burger build a nice pile of mushrooms, then sprinkle with sesame seeds, sliced green onions, and bean sprouts. The resulting slider is a perfect balance of rich umami and fresh crispiness.

Tri-Onion Tidbit

For this tasty onion trio, begin by heating thinly sliced sweet onion in a pan over medium-low heat with a bit of oil. Salt the onions and stir occasionally, letting them slowly caramelize (this takes about 20 minutes). When the onions get that signature caramel colour, stir in a few glubs of balsamic vinegar and let it cook in. Layer the cooked burger patty with a few slices of brie cheese, then the caramelized onions, a few rings of thinly sliced red onions, and finally some crispy fried onions (these are an amazing garnish that can be purchased where you buy Indian foods, well-stocked grocery markets, or bulk stores). If you can think of more ways to add in additional onions, your official title will be: Certified Onion Guru. Oh wait, I garnished this baby with a mini red onion on a toothpick. I guess that makes me a COG.

And now, for the winner…

After much deliberation, we decided that we could not declare a slider champion.  Personally, I believe that I was a winner because I ended up with a plate full of scrumptiousocity.