Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Every Cookbook Needs a Burger

I think all vegan cookbooks should have at least one burger recipe, and until last night, I didn't have one for my Southern vegan cookbook. Now I have this tasty Black-Eyed Pea & Brown Rice Burger:

Luckily, I had a couple cups of cooked black-eyed peas in the freezer, so making this was a snap. It's loaded with veggies, some spicy jalepeno, rice, peas, and seasonings. But I think it needs a little more of something before it's ready to go.

It wasn't bland, but it didn't blow me away either. I honestly think the main missing ingredient is a sufficient amount of salt. And maybe something more tomato-y, like tomato paste. I'll work on these and get back to ya.

On another note, I just made whoopie pies (pics tomorrow, I promise!) and not only did I lick the chocolate batter and frosting from the bowls, I also ate one and a half whoopie pies after I finished sandwiching the frosting between the cookies. And all this about 30 minutes before my bed time! I feel like such a lard ass ... does anyone else have a problem gorging when they bake?

28 comments:

Kelly said...

Wait... gorging on baked goods is a problem? Oops. Seriously though, isn't that at least half the fun of baking? I think so. :)

The Voracious Vegan said...

That burger is beautiful! I love burgers so much, I hope you get yours perfected soon so we can all enjoy making them for ourselves.

And yay for whoopie pies!

Tara said...

I love the idea of using black eyed peas in a burger! And I gorge so much when I bake that I haven't baked anything of any significance in months, just to avoid gorging. It's sad, really.

Anonymous said...

I agree - burgers are indeed necessary! And good grief, yes on the lack of self-control when I make something yummy! It's so frustrating. I have only been baking for about a year or so, and before I was't tempted, because I didn't have the yummies in my kitchen!

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

Yeah I'm terrible for eating the frosting and whatever I've baked before I'm done icing them. Usually I feel to sick to eat one when they're all done!

ZippyZu said...

yup.. pretty sure that we all do that one! I have a hard time when I'm making cookies- not to eat the raw batter. that's my favorite part! I don't even want to bake them half the time :-) You can imagine that during christmas (when I made biscotti for gifts) I was on a sugar rush for weeks!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

YUUUUM!!

Anonymous said...

Stop with all this delicious food!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, I definitely have a problem. I need to go to Gorgers Anonymous. Ha ha. That is why I bake for others. That way I will not lick the bowl or the beaters. Whoopi Pies sound awesome.

jessy said...

ooooh, that's one tasty bean burger, Bianca! i can't wait to give it a whirl after you tweak it to your liking! it looks so awesome & super tasty! i find that black-eyed peas kinda suck up some flavor - so i always add a little more sea salt 'n pepper (sometimes even minced raw garlic) to give 'em a little kick.

i totally gorge when i bake. but i find that if i brush my teeth after just a taste (to make sure the recipe is spot on in flavor) i'm less likely to eat more icing & lick spoons and such. i think it's 'cause my mouth is all minty fresh or something. :) but then again - that's half the fun of baking goodies - getting to enjoy all the awesomeness! mmmmmmmmm!

MeloMeals said...

Those look great! that reminds me... I have some black eyed peas in the freezer too!

I don't bake unless I have a household of people to eat the food.

Veganissexy said...

Ha ha. That is precicsely the reason I don't bake very often. I will "taste test" just about every batch of whatever it is for "quality control" of course. Yep...I too am a lard ass when it comes to baking :)

Anonymous said...

Totally...I eat so much more when I've baked...it's like the cookies are talking to me.

Jen said...

i'm right there with kelly. nomming while baking goes together like guns and cocaine. you can't really do one without the other, right?

i don't gorge per se, but i do a lot of tasting. i'm excited about the whoopie pies.

re: the burger--do you have any chipotle ms. dash? that stuff rocks. use some of that and some lime maybe?

chipotle soy sour cream is super easy: 1 mori nu lite silken tofu, juice of 2 small lemons-(or one biggun), sea salt, and 1/2 chipotle pepper. put that shit in a blender until smooth.

nora said...

yeah, i gorge so much. the worst time ever was when i was making a chocolate peanut butter mousse pie with silken tofu, so, despite the intense concentration of calories, haha, the filling seemed so light, and there was like at least a cup left, and i ate all of it with a spoon. it hit me 15 min later and didn't feel good. SO much sugar. also, even worse than regular baking is when i make a huge batch of homemade granola, because it seems so limitless, i just keep grabbing another handful thinking it's not that much! it's really hard to restrain yourself when making celine's peanut butter and chips granola from have cake will travel. believe me!

Anonymous said...

Yummy-as-heck looking burger there Bianca! I make a black-eyed pea burger with some spicy soul seasoning to snazz it up a bit.

Ummm... Gorging on baked goods is a chronic habit of mine, morning, noon, and night (sometimes in the middle of the night too). So, no worries!

Anonymous said...

Yum! I can't wait to test it. :) Plus, I've got a bunch of Black-Eyed Peas I bought on sale and need to use.

River (Wing-It Vegan) said...

Baking-gorging is absolutely necessary. You are making sure your baked goods meet high quality standards... right? :)

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

who doesnt love a burger!

Yours is beautiful!

Lisa said...

I am always searching for the next great burger recipe. I look forward to seeing your perfected version! Black eyed peas sounds like a delicious start.

Macie said...

Yes -- I gorge myself whenever I bake and it makes me feel bad. Then baking makes me happy, so I can't help but bake... and thus, eat. Vicious cycle.

Nathan said...

I gorge when ever I make anything, like the time I cooked some black beans for a chili I was going to make the following the day, and then ate a whole bunch of the beans with some fresh tomatoes, green onions and hot sauce. I ate so much that the next day I had to open a can of black beans to have enough for the chili!

The Vegan SlaughterHouse said...

mmmm....they still look soooo good tho!

Leslie Richman said...

Opposite problem on the gorging! I work all hard, then want nothing to do with the stuff once it's done. Hehehe. At least other people enjoy the treats!

The Vegan Snorkeler said...

That burger sounds great! I've newly discovered the joy of black eyed peas.

Unknown said...

wow. how is it that i've just found this place (it was the agave mead entries from last feb/may that got me)???

black eyed peas/rice/jalepenos burger??? i'm so in love.

Sheridan said...

yeah. Sometimes I gorge. it's true. ha.

Sheridan said...

That burger looks GOOD. I love black eyed peas!