Chipotle Beet Burgers

This summer has flown by. The last month in a flurry of rain. As opposed to making more excuses about not blogging I will say this: I like cooking better than writing. There, secrets out. Phew, not so bad. That being said, I really do like keeping this blog and will attempt to return to some sort of blogging schedule. There are a lot of exciting things going on in the next few months.

Number 1 exciting thing is that Philadelphia now has a FOOD SWAP!!! I am spearheading this with Marisa from Food In Jars, Alexis of Teaspoons & Petals, and Amanda of @forkspoonknife. The first event is coming up soon on September 22nd. Read more about it here. I will recap after it is over.

Onto the Beet Burgers. Our CSA, Henry Got Crops, puts out a newsletter every week that includes a section of recipes. This week offered a recipe for Beet Burgers that a CSA member had raved about. I was very intrigued by the idea and had two bunches of beets waiting in my crisper. I actually ended up searching for a different recipe because the initial one called for too many ingredients I didn't have. I landed on one from The Kitchn that seemed similar. I didn't have everything in the ingredient list so altered the recipe. They were really great. A super healthy and tasty alternative to a beef burger, and easy enough to make at home. Boca Burgers eat your heart out.

These turned into Chipotle Beet Burgers (we love spicy here) and were served with a quick salad.

Chipotle Beet Burgers
modified from this recipe
made 9 burgers

1/2 cup brown rice (about 1 cup cooked rice)
1 medium red onion, diced
1 pound beets (we used a little more than a pound, mixed red and gold)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 can refried beans (Amy's are wonderful)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp chipotle powder (more if you like spicy)
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice per directions on package.

Heat olive oil in skillet. Saute garlic and onion until fragrant and add beets and jalapeno. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add spices at the end and stir well.

Mix rice, beans, veggies and flour well in large bowl. Heat skillet back up and scoop burger-sized amounts into the pan. Cook on each side until a nice crust develops (about 3-5 minutes per side). Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Be very gentle as they don't hold together great. Mine all came out in one piece though. Serve either plain or on burger rolls.