The fresh fruits and vegetables of summer are truly my favorite part of the season.  I am instantly inspired to spend time in the kitchen after a nice trip to the farmers’ market… my mind just whirls around with all the amazing possibilities of foods.

So a trip to the market was in store …and my bags were full of delicious ingredients for amazing recipes in a short matter of time…

: Dinner was served :

I found this recipe in a back issue of Shape magazine, and adapted it for a vegan diet.   It worked pretty well!  The only thing is that it is terribly unphotogenic… no matter what I did, the food just looked like a brown  crispy blob.  But, a delicious brown crispy blob, if only I had had a fresh red tomato for the photo – then it would have looked delicious  …  It is a bulgur wheat and beans with vegetable ans spices formed in to a patty accompanied by tahini slaw. I also stuffed some zucchini flowers from the garden with the same mixture as the patty and lightly fried them in some oil.  They turned out very well, and the photo of them is slightly more photogenic than the others!

Bulgur Vegetable Burgers with Tahini Slaw
(my adaptations in red)

• 1/2 c bulgur wheat
• 1 c boiling water
• 1/2 c canned white beans (navy beans)
• 2 T finely chopped cashews
• 1/2 c shredded carrots
• 1/2 c spinach, thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t ground pepper
• 1/2 t paprika
• 1 t curry powder
• 1 egg  (replaced with 1/3 c ground flaxseed and a dash of flaxseed oil)
• 1/2 c bread crumbs
• 1 T olive oil
  

Slaw

• 2 c shredded cabbage (red, green, or mix)
• 2 T yogurt (soy)
• 1 T tahini
• 1/4 t cayenne (I used more ~ 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 c green chile peppers

Mix slaw ingredients first and set aside in refrigerator.

Combine bulgur and boiling water in a heatprood bowl.  Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes.

In a medium bow, mash white beans into a paste.  Stir in nuts, carrots, spinach, scallions, spices, and the egg (or flaxseed); add breadcrumbs and the bulgur and mix well.  Form into patties with about 4 inches in diameter.

Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat.  Cook the patties for 4 minutes and then flip and cook the opposite for about 3 minutes, or until heated throughout and golden brown.  Serve on a hamburger bun with traditional condiments.

The replacement of the egg in the mixture worked out just fine.  The flaxseed oil did a fine job holding it all together, much like the purpose of the egg.  You could easily sub any green leafy vegetable in place of the spinach – kale, mustard greens, beet greens, collards – as they would *spice* the mix up even more.  I will likely try a different green next time since I have them in my garden.

The slaw could easily work as a topping for the burger or as a side dish.  Try it both ways!  This seems like a nice dish for the summer – especially with upcoming cookouts and summertime holidays…

Oh, but wait!  there was more to the feast!

I picked a whole batch of cherries at the market – some sweet, and some sour.  The sweet ones were eaten pretty quickly, and I planned to find some sort of recipe for the sour.  So glad I found this recipe on Recipezaar!  Vegan, raw, and no refined sugars!

The recipe was easy to follow and has plenty of ways to substitute, both with the nut combinations, as well as the fruit on top.  Strawberries would work quite well too.  I love the cherries!  The tartness of the cherries was really neutralized by the chocolate.  I used agave nectar in place of any sugar, and also sprinkled a tad of sucanat on top for a little crunchiness.  It is a no-bake recipe – perfect for the hot summer days when you don’t want to turn the oven on!

I wish there was a way to have you all over to share some with you!  So yummy!

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