Today’s school lunch was these cute little mini burgers, baked fries, and grapes.
I had a FAIL when I tried to create something similar to the catered menu item, steak teriyaki. The rice was under done and the vegetables were overcooked. Ick. Luckily I have several packs of these burgers waiting in the freezer. I popped a pack in the fridge last night to thaw and then warmed in a pan this morning so they would be more solid instead of mushy. Finished them with a tiny smear of ketchup. Yesterday while the little dude was having a snack I did the fries. Sliced a small potato, tossed with paprika and salt, and baked at 425 for about 25 minutes.
Cost of this school lunch is approximately $0.70.
These burgers usually include walnuts or almonds. His school is nut-free, so I substituted more pepitas. Each mini burger is about 1 ounce. The mix can also be formed into full size patties, 4-6 ounces. It can even be crumbled and sauteed like taco meat. Different spices make it interesting. Lately I’ve been using a kebab seasoning, but typically I use a mix of chili powder and coriander or cumin. Let’s just say I’ve made MANY different burger varieties!
- 1 onion
- 3 carrots
- 2 TB chia seeds
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1½ cups fresh bread crumbs
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup pepitas chopped (can substitute chopped almonds or walnuts)
- ½ cup sunflower seeds*
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 TB soy sauce
- 3 TB kebab seasoning (or other preferred spice to taste)
- salt to taste
- Add chia seeds to warm water and allow to sit.
- Mince onion and carrot in a food processor. Add to mixing bowl.
- Process oats into flour using food processor. Add to mixing bowl.
- Add half beans to bowl. Mash the remaining beans using fork or food processor. Add to bowl.
- Add all other ingredients, including chia mixture, to mixing bowl and incorporate well.
- Divide into desired patty size. Cook in a pan on medium heat for a few minutes on each side. Can be frozen before or after cooking.
*I use a seed mix that includes sunflower seeds, pepitas, flax, and chia.
Tags: burgers, kid food, school lunch, vegan, vegetarian