Garden Café Veggie Burgers

From Mark Wootton, Garden Café

The garden is flourishing at this cozy neighborhood café in East Dallas. Here’s their tasty alternative for Meatless Mondays or any day of the week.

Makes 6 patties

¼ cup uncooked bulgur wheat
½ cup walnuts
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
¼ pound button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup cooked lentils
1 chipotle pepper, coarsely chopped
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
Salt and Pepper

Bring ¾ cup water or stock to a boil and add the bulgur wheat.

Immediately stir and remove from heat. Top with a lid and set aside. In a food processor, puree walnuts until texture is smooth (like butter). In a medium saucepan, sauté onions, bell pepper, celery, mushrooms and garlic in oil. Add the garlic last so it doesn’t burn. Combine sautéed veggies with walnut puree, bulgur wheat, mayo, lentils and chipotle.

Divide the mixture into two halves. Put one half into the processor and blend until very smooth. Remove to a separate large bowl. Next, process the other half, but don’t puree. Leave this part chunky. A semicoarse blend for half of your mix will create a better texture for the finished “burger.” Add chunky half to the larger bowl with the smooth half. In a separate bowl, combine the panko crumbs, cumin, coriander and salt and pepper. Add these dry ingredients to the combined veggie mixture.

Portion out into 6-ounce patties, each about ½ inch thick. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes.

Mark Wootton

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Garden Café owner Mark Wootton has long been a champion of using natural, sustainable, and humanely raised food products, extending even to the honey that he uses at the café.

• Mark Wootton

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