Veggie Burgers on the Grill

Usually when Larry barbecues a burger, he grills a portobello mushroom for me.

Today will be no exception.

It will be a noisy day in our neighborhood - fireworks, M80s, firecrackers and other loud bangs will start before 10 a.m. and go on until after midnight.

With all that sound stress, we need an easy meal which we can eat while manning the fire hoses. So we'll have our traditional barbecue dinner of burger / mushroom, potato salad, green salad and black beans. (You can read about a previous holiday barbecue and get my excellent black bean recipe here.)

On Memorial Day weekend, however, Larry stretched his grilling prowess and barbecued a homemade veggie burger for me. Usually I fry these on the stove or bake them in the oven because they tend to fall apart.

But it was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, a relaxing day, and Larry said he was up for the challenge.

(On Memorial Day Monday, we had Tracie over for a Mediterranean-inspired cookout. You can read about it here.)

I sat quietly (and, I like to think, supportively) reading the Sunday papers while Larry grilled the burgers. I did not hear a lot of cussing, which I took as a good sign. But he did have to keep squishing the burger together in order to stop pieces falling off into the fire.

It looked a little messy open-faced on the bun, but it tasted great. I've put the 3 other burgers into the freezer for another day when Larry is up for a barbecue challenge.

Mushroom Carrot Burger
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
3 cups mushrooms
3 large carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
3 oz feta
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Chop the onion and garlic in the food processor - they need to be very fine. Empty them into a bowl and chop the mushrooms. Put the mushrooms in another bowl and grate the carrots.

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft but not brown, 3-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Drain off any accumulated liquid, but don't squeeze the mushrooms dry.

Place the grated carrots and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Crumble in the feta. Add the mushroom mixture, basil and thyme. Stir well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the eggs.

Shape the mixture into 4 burgers the size of hamburger buns. They will look huge. It's okay.

Brush the grill rack with olive oil, and cook the burgers over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes, turning often, until they are golden.

Alternatively, you can bake them in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes, or fry them in a little oil on the stove.

The burgers can be frozen uncooked. Thaw before cooking.

Makes 4 large burgers.