Veggie Packed Burger

Last night, after having taught kids for an hour on how to avoid eating chips and filling their plates with color, I went to friend’s house and painted my plate with yellow-colored cheese dip and Fritos (and rosé). I could see the longing and excitement in Aslan’s eyes, even though we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. He was like a child who only gets candy on Christmass. As for myself, I indulged and ignored my conscience (I was starving), and today, I’ve been in bed all day (is that a sign?). Well, a day before, trying to indulge in a better way, I made us burgers. From scratch. I don’t want you to confuse this with a veggie burger. It has beef in it, yet it’s packed with veggies, giving you a full hearty and healthy-er meal than a simple burger. It’s juicy and full of flavor. I don’t mix dairy and meat, so cheeseburgers are out of the question, but using delicata squash as a cheesy sub was on point. Making your own buns is just a really nice bun-tastic feeling.

1 lb ground meat
2 cups mushrooms
1 zucchini
1 red onion
1/2 delicata squash
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp zhug (or a mix of cayenne, paprika, cardamom, cumin)
3 lemons
1/4 cup mayo+1 Tbsp sriracha
spinach or lettuce
For the buns:

3¼ cups (450 g) flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2¼ tsp instant dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 large egg
¼ cup olive oil
1¼ teaspoons salt
Egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon sugar
Sesame seeds or poppy seeds, optional
Start by making the buns, if making your own. Mix all of the dry ingredients well in a standard mixer, add the water, egg, oil, and beat on medium for about 8 minutes. It will be sticky, but add a bit more flour if it’s too wet. Oil a bowl and place the dough there, covered in plastic, in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours. Then divide into 8 buns, place on a baking sheet covered in parchment, with room to expand. Cover again and let rice 40-60 minutes. Heat the oven to 400º. Mix the egg, water, and sugar and brush the buns. Sprinkle with seeds and bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool before slicing.

Burgers:

Preheat the oven to 425º. Slice the mushrooms in half and drizzle some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Slice the butternut squash into rounds, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake until soft, set aside for the assembly. Use a spiralizer, or just chop the zucchini, then place half an onion, the mushrooms, and zucchini in a food processor and pulse until minced. Mix the veggies with the ground meat and add the salt, pepper, spices, and lemon juice from half a lemon. Refrigerate until ready to use. Slice the other half of the onion and place in a small bowl with the juice of the other lemons and some salt. Let it soften for 30 minutes or more. When ready to eat, heat a large frying pan with some olive oil. Make eight round patties with your hands, or using a ring. when hot, cook your burgers for about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through and browned on both sides. Assemble the burgers by slicing buns in half, spreading sriracha mayo, then the meat, a slice of squash, some pickled onions, and spinach on top. Enjoy!