Farro Burger With Avocado
Source: Recipe and photo courtesy of California Avocado Commission
Veggie burgers have grown in scope and creativity over the years, as they’ve evolved into a more popular choice for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. At Little Bear, the kitchen blends farro with beans and mushrooms to form a patty that cooks and looks a lot like meat. The topping is vegan, too, composed of roasted red pepper, creamy avocado and aioli made with tofu.
Ingredients
4 oz. farro
10 oz. canned red beans, drained and rinsed
3 oz. red bell pepper, finely diced
3 oz. green bell pepper, finely diced
3 oz. onion, finely diced
6 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
3/4 tsp. chopped Italian parsley
3/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. vegetable base
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Tofu Aioli (recipe follows)
6 whole wheat buns
Butter lettuce leaves
2 roasted red peppers, sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
Steps
- Bring 2 cups lightly salted water and farro to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook 20 min. until cooked through. Drain farro; place in a large bowl.
- Blend half the beans in food processor until smooth. Add to farro along with whole beans; mix well.
- In skillet over med.-high heat, heat 1 tsp. olive oil. Add bell peppers and onion; cook until soft. Remove from heat; add to farro-bean mixture.
- Heat another 1 tsp. olive oil in skillet. Add mushrooms; cook until soft. Remove from heat and add to farro mixture.
- Add panko, tomato paste, soy sauce, parsley, chipotle powder, cumin and vegetable base to farro mixture; mix until well combined. Stir in flour. Shape mixture into 6 patties.
- Heat olive oil on griddle over med.-high heat. Cook patties 3-4 min. on each side until browned, crispy and heated through.
- To serve, spread tofu aioli on buns; place burgers on bottom bun and top with lettuce leaves, roasted red pepper slices and 3 to 4 avocado slices.
Tofu Aioli
6 oz. silken tofu
1 1/2 oz. roasted garlic
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. light miso
1 tbsp. capers
1 tbsp. water
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy, adding more water if necessary to reach consistency of mayonnaise. Refrigerate 2 hr. to blend flavors.