Hello friends! I am off for a little vaca and have a guest post (of sorts) for you.
Meet my friend Eric. Eric works at Blackbaud with me and is also food critic for the Charleston City Paper. We met through our mutual friend Rachel and bonded over a love for all things related to food and cooking. The food bond is pretty strong as we both have a slight obsession with beets and pickles. Oh, and did I mention he’s a Chick-fil-A fan too? Now you know why we are friends.
I enjoy cooking and learning about different foods, but this is where Eric and I differ. He LOVES cooking. And is really good at it. In preparation for a catering gig he was doing, he offered to let me sample some of the veggie burgers he was going to be serving.
As a new(ish) vegetarian, I was really excited to try homemade veggie burgers! Morning Star and Trader Joe’s veggie and black bean burgers have already been incorporated into my diet, but I knew it was only time before a homemade one made its way to my mouth.
While Eric played in the kitchen, I played with his pup, Copper. Look at this cutie!
Though I don’t have an exact recipe, the burgers are essentially a mix of the following:
- edamame
- red pepper
- red onion
- corn
- carrot
- spinach
- cayenne
- lime juice
- garlic
- egg
- bread crumbs
- edamame pureed with water, lemon juice, and oil
The veggies and seasonings were chopped in tiny bits, then bound together with the egg, bread crumbs, and edamame puree. So colorful!
He formed the patties,
and pan fried them.
For serving, Eric placed each burger on a mini Hawaiian sweet roll, topped them with tzatziki sauce, and garnished them with cilantro radish.
How adorable is this! Be jealous. They were flipping fantastic.
I thought to myself, “How am I going to go another day without these?” My prayers were answered when Eric offered to let me take home the leftover mix so I could make some at home.
Hash tag awesome.
Now here’s where the guest post comes in. We have the usual Friday Five post, but written by the cook himself. Enjoy!
What I'm Reading: Charcuterie: The craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman. Who doesn't love cured meats? I'm seriously considering turning my spare walk-in closet into a meat and beer locker. Sausages, hams, salumis, and aged beers. Can you imagine staying in my spare room and smelling bacon?
What I'm Watching: American Idol. Don't judge me. I've never been into the show until this season. The only reason I'm watching is to support a someone I know from Charleston, Elise Testone. She's killing it right now and everyone should vote for her on Wednesday nights!
What I'm listening to: Atlas Genius – Trojans. I heard this song for the first time on Alt Nation and I'm hooked.
What I'm Bookmarking: http://www.moleculargastronomynetwork.com/
I've been on a molecular gastronomy kick. Making balsamic caviar, foams, basil spaghetti, mojito spheres, bloody mary candies, and more.It's cool what you can do with food and chemistry.
What I'm Drinking: Bell's Hopslam. Hops, citrus, and honey - three of my favorite things all in one beer. This stuff doesn't sit on the shelf long so I get as much as I can as soon as it's released.
Hope you enjoyed the guest post. I will tell you where I am soon.. 
The show “explores behaviors and lifestyles that are acceptable in some cultures but forbidden, illegal or reviled in others.”
