Beet Burgers

Beet burgers are delicious (dare I say they can't be…. beat??).  I know there's a lot of beet haters out there (which is totally beat, dude), but these burgers deserve a chance.  (I'm sorry.  Had to get the beet puns out of my system.)  I'd venture to say that you don't even really taste a specific beet-y flavor in them, since the beets meld with everything else in the "meat" mixture.  The thing that these beets do impart on the burgers is their color: bright red, which makes the burger mixture look suspiciously like raw meat.  It makes me feel like a carnivore.  But the nice kind.  I guess I should also mention that I feel like a carnivore when I have to butcher a cauliflower or skin a roasted pepper.  But I digress.

The recipe for these burgers comes from my all time favorite food blog, Post Punk Kitchen.  I use recipes from the blog and the books that the blogger, Isa, has written, and have yet to find a recipe that I don't like.  You can find the original beet burger recipe here.  I didn't change the original recipe very much, but what I did change is the toppings.  Isa serves hers pretty much plain but I always add lettuce, caramelized onions, and tsadziki, which really puts it over the top.

Frying up that burger meat

Recipe notes:

• The original recipe calls for "shredded beets".  I have used both canned (cooked) beets as well as freshly cooked beets, and both have worked just fine.  My preference is to have raw beets which are roasted until al dente, as in they're soft enough to be stabbed by a fork but aren't quite cooked enough to be eaten alone.  I find that these beets give a little more texture to the burger, but feel free to use the soft canned beets if that's what you have.
• Tsadziki sauce needs time to meld after you make it, so definitely mix this up first and then let it hang out in the fridge while you ruthlessly wrestle beets (….beat up the beets?  Sorry.)  The more time the tsadziki has to let its ingredients mingle, the better.
• As you cook the beet burgers, have your oven on at a low temperature, like 250 f.  As the beets finish cooking in the pan, pop them into the oven to keep them warm and cook the inside a bit more.  I like my beet burgers done medium-well, not still mooing on the plate...err, beet-ing on the plate?  (Beating on the plate?? Last pun.  I promise.  Maybe.)

Click here for the Beet Burger recipe. Isa does such a fabulous job blogging it that I don't feel the need to re-do it here.  See below for the accouterments.

Tsadziki Sauce:

• 1 small container of Greek Yogurt (single serving size)
• 1/2 a cucumber, seeded and very finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh chopped dill
• 1-4 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on your tolerance for spicy garlic flavor)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Since it's a sauce, it's very forgiving- so taste, taste, taste, and adjust everything to your palate.  Cover and let sit in refrigerator until ready to use.  The longer you let it sit, the better the flavors will combine.

Caramelized Onions:

• 1 large onion, or 2 small/medium onions
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbs Smart Balance
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• Salt to taste

Thinly slice the onion.  Melt the oil, Smart Balance, and brown sugar in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt, and mix so that the onions are coated by the oil.  Cook on medium high until the onions are lightly softened and some of the water has evaporated off.  Turn heat down to medium-low and let the onions cook, covered, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes.  The onions are done when they are a deep brown color and really mushy looking.

You can make these as burgers, or put the burgers on top of lettuce and call it a salad.  Sometimes the burgers can get crumbly, in which case salad is a much easier option because of the whole using-a-fork thing.  Either way, it's delicious.