" Hot Tamale" Burgers

Submitted by Skippy BW

"Spicy burgers are vegetarian."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 12
• Yields: 8 burgers
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 cup short-grain brown rice
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cup)
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 3⁄4 cup corn kernel
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 2 tsp sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄3 cup instant yellow cornmeal or 1/3 cup masa harina
• 1⁄2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3⁄4 teaspoon lime zest

directions

1. Bring rice and 3 cups water to a boil in medium sauce pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 40 minutes or until water is absorbed by rice.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, corn, chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin and salt. Sauté 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring once or twice. Whisk 1/2 cup cornmeal in bowl add to skillet mixture and cover and cook on low for 10 minutes more. Stirring once or twice (mixture will feel like thick cornmeal slush).
3. Remove from heat, and stir in hot rice, cilantro, lime juice and zest. Cool 20 minutes. Wet hands and shape mixture into 8 burgers. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Prepare grill to medium heat. Brush burgers and grill rack with olive oil. Grill 7 minutes per side or until crusty on the outside.

Reviews

[FLKeysJen]

Spicy hot! Dare to serve these to anyone who says veggie burgers are boring! I used several chopped chipotles and topped with pepper jack...YUM! I love that these don't include beans (I like beans but do they have to be in every veggie burger?) My only reason for not giving them five stars is that they fell apart a bit -- the sticky brown rice and refrigeration helped, but they still weren't firm enough to cook on a grill. These were so good that I wouldn't want to lose pieces of them in the coals!

 

[tranabananax5]

This recipe is found in the July/Aug 07 issue of Vegetarian Times. The flavor is excellent, and even my husband, who doesn't like veggie burgers, loves these. Definitely make them with freshly cooked rice (they'll hold together better) and with instant masa harina flour instead of the cornmeal (they don't crumble as much). Very yummy though, and definitely worth trying.