Thank you, Eyjafjallajökull for half-naked January running.

I ran in a rolled-up long sleeve T and shorts this morning. I donned a cutoff and shorts for my double in the afternoon. It was almost 60 degrees. It's January. I'm doing my PhD in Statistics at Ohio State, and I took a course in spatial statistics in Spring 2010. The professor of the class, Noel Cressie, is basically the pioneer of his field and is world-reknowned in the stats universe. He's....a strong personality. I tend to be attracted to such people, but they are just as easily hated as they are loved. I can see both sides.


 He likes to talk, and when  Eyjafjallajökull erupted and spread volcanic ash all over the  hemisphere, he boldly made the prediction that, not the following winter, but the winter after that would be particularly mild. The man works extensively in climate modeling, but I duly noted this prediction in my mind and made a point not to forget to either validate or disprove his prediction. Well, here we are: Winter of 2012. Looks like ol' Cressie was right. I can't hate; running half-naked is much preferred to multi-layered running.

I know, I know. I shared a donut with you on Sunday night and then told you that the recipe would follow on Monday. Then I consumed one of these donuts the day after they were made. Sucktown, USA. They don't keep well, and I wasn't thrilled with the texture of the flour combination either. I will adapt them and share with you a recipe that will keep your socks holding on with a white-knuckle grip. You'll have to wait for donuts, but to tide you over, I'm going to share with you my first attempt at a homemade veggie burger. It did not disappoint, to say the least.
Again, for the beginner veggie eaters who might be reading this: a veggie burger is not meant to replace your quarter pounder with cheese. Burger does not necessarily mean beef, as milk does not necessarily mean dairy. The stupid food pyramid makes me want to cuss like a sailor. (Deep breath.) It's hard to believe I waited this long to try to make one myself, but between Luna burgers and Northstar Cafe, I'm so close to some of the best veg patties that the thought of doing the dirty work myself was never, well...my first thought. 
I was inspired by Angela's veggie burger criteria in this post. Soggy veggie burgers suck, but anything falling apart between plate and mouth is even worse. I'm not a tofu hater in the least, but I already eat enough of it, and over-consumption of soy is something of which I may be a teeny weary. And who doesn't like mouthfeel and flavor?

Naked black bean burger

There she is, sunbathing on a swiss chard towel. Brothas Burgers be lined up at her locker. (Can you name the movie?) Crispy on the outside, but she still held her shape even after the first bite. Hal and Al's is one of my absolute favorite places in Columbus; it's a bar with an entire menu of vegan pub food-and a massive beer list to boot. I ate the veggie burger like a gluten free-friendly version of their burrito. I threw some spaghetti squash on there with some paprika and some vegan sour creme cheez sauce. 

Black bean burger all dressed up for church

The chard did a wicked good job of standing in for a tortilla; it was sturdy enough that it didn't tear and was much more pliable than a corn tortilla. It's earthy flavor complimented the burger really well. 

Don't mind the onion nib that made its way into that bottom left corner.


Black Bean Veggie Burgers 
Inspired by Oh She Glows
Ingredients


1/4 cup green onion, diced (only the white part)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 Flax egg: 2 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp warm water, mixed in bowl
1/4 cup GF oat flour
3/4 cooked brown rice
1/2 cup grated parsnips
1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and roughly pureed or mashed
Heaping 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/3 cup flaxseeds
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried basil
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup vegan sour creme (recipe here)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp white miso
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp paprika


yields 4 burgers


Mix your flax egg together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 10 minutes. In a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in 1/2 tbsp coconut oil until the onions are slightly tender and opaque (about 2-3 minutes). Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Alternatively, you could put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. Be careful not to over-process. Stir in the garlic and onions. Lightly coat hands in a bit of water so that it prevents the dough from sticking and shape the burgers tightly into patties. 


Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat. Cook the patties 3-4 minutes on each side, or until heated through and crisp. For the cheez sauce, mix the sour creme, nutritional yeast, miso, cumin, and paprika. Add black pepper to taste.  To serve, fill chard leaf with burger; top with roasted spaghetti squash and cheez.