Italian Veggie Burgers with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Now that the weather is colder, I find myself eating fewer green smoothies and more seeds, nuts and dehydrated foods.  I'm also eating a bit more cooked foods, especially sweet potatoes, brown rice and kasha.

I recently improvised a raw sunflower seed-based veggie burger flavored with sundried tomatoes. When I gave the normally carnivorous Jake a bite, he closed his eyes, smiled and pronounced it delightful, so I decided to share the recipe.  

Italian veggie burger lunch

Italian Veggie Burger with Sun Dried Tomatoes 

1 cup sunflower seeds, ground

½ cup flax seeds, ground

¼ cup hemp seeds

1 cup chopped celery

2 chopped scallions

1 tbs capers, finely chopped

¼ cup water

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

Pinch pepper

1 cup parsley

¾ cup sun dried tomatoes

1 large clove garlic

In a large bowl, mix together sunflower seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, celery, scallions, capers, salt, oregano, basil, pepper and water. 

In a food processor, process parsley, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic to a paste.

Add the tomato mixture to the seed mixture, mix and shape into patties. (I formed it into one large rectangle which I later cut into smaller squares to fit my flax bread.)Dehydrate at 104 for three or four hours.  If you don't have a dehydrator you can use your oven on its lowest temperature and keep checking until it's the consistency you want.  

I served mine on flax bread with a garlic cashew cream, lettuce and arugula sprouts, but they'd be good with ketchup or mustard.  I have to admit, I didn't love my flax bread.  Next time I'll eat them without.

Acknowledgement: The basic seed ratio is from a burger recipe in Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Essentials. I’ve changed the veggies and seasonings.

before dehydrating

after dehydrating