Thai Carrot Veggie Burgers

I got this inexpensive book for the Kindle today ... Veggie-Burgers-Every-Which-Way by Lukas Volger which motivated us to try making one of the recipes.  Arline decided we'd try the Thai Carrot Veggie Burger first.  We had everything but Tumeric.  So, a trip to WalMart ...

Anyway, here's the recipe:

Thai Carrot Veggie Burger

Makes 4 Large burgers

Ingredients:
2 Tbl olive, grapeseed or Canola oil, divided in half

1 bunch scallions, sliced thinly, one inch into the dark green part

1/2 cup cilantro, rough chopped (ours was dead and slimy in the refrigerator door, so we used parsley instead)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated

1 Serrano pepper, chopped up finely, seeded or not, depending on your personal heat threshold
 (we didn’t put any seeds in and couldn’t taste the pepper)
4 cups grated carrots (from about 8 medium size carrots)

3/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

juice of 1/2 lime
(maybe of a whole lime)
2 egg whites

2 Tbl natural peanut butter
(or three of regular peanut butter ... the heaping kind)
1/4 cup toasted bread crumbs (or rolled oats whizzed into flour)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

NOW Cut up, grate, and measure everything first. 

THEN Heat a large frying pan (which has a lid) over medium heat.  Add 1 Tbl of the oil, and when hot, add the scallions. Cook for about two minutes, just until they begin to soften, and then add the garlic, ginger, and pepper. Stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then stir in the carrots, spices, and salt. Cover and let cook for six or eight minutes, until soft but not mushy (stir and flip occasionally until not so orangish).  You want to soften the carrots but not turn them to mush.  But you want to retain their integrity so they will help tie things together. (kind of like straw in adobe)

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites (we used the whole eggs), peanut butter, and lime juice. Fold in the carrot mixture, making sure that everything is well combined, and then fold in the bread crumbs (or oat flour). Let sit for about ten minutes, allowing the bread crumbs to absorb some of the liquid. Adjust seasonings—particularly the salt and lime juice. Shape into 4 large patties, pressing them to compact and hold shape.

Heat remaining 1 Tbl of oil in an oven-safe skillet or frying pan over high heat. When hot, add the burgers, in batches if necessary, cooking until browned each side—it will only take a minute or a minute-and-a-half per side). Transfer the pan (we put them on a cookie sheet that we had sprayed with oil) into the oven for fifteen minutes, where the burgers will finish cooking.

The last minute or less, we topped them with a slice of cheese.

Make your dressing and fixings however you want.  We toasted two slices of bread, added Mayo, ketchup, raw onion slices (Vidalia), slices of dill pickle, and some lettuce.  DELICIOUS!