aioli + pickled onions

Meatless Friday? Yep.  It was a busy, busy week which included family staying with us until yesterday.  I knew I wanted to make Heidi Swanson’s Ultimate Veggie Burgers this week but to be completely honest, was not sure how they would taste and therefore decided it might be best to wait to give them a whirl.  I should have had more trust in Ms. Swanson.  These were AWESOME!  People, stop buying the veggie/meatless burgers at the grocery store.  Make these!  I kid you not.  You will love them as much as we did.  And although it was my idea to give this once-a-week meatless thing a try, I am a die-hard beef burger lover!  So if I love them, you will, too.  

I’ve got to say: Heidi Swanson is a genius.  She has a great knack for transforming ingredients into delicious meals.  And her idea to turn the patty into the bun for this recipe? Perfect!  There is so much flavor in the patties and they hold together so well; pick em up and dive in.  Recipe calls for mini burgers; I made regular sized ones.  For that size, recipe easily makes four. Created our own fillers to make two different burgers. Burger 1: aioli sauce, pickled onions, roasted tomatoes, avocado and sprouts {Goldfarb’s fav}.  The roasted tomatoes really stood out well against the sauce and onions.  Burger 2: roasted tomatoes, avocado, sprouts and schug – an incredibly delicious Jewish sauce I read about in this month’s Saveur.  And it is so easy to make:  combine 8 oz jalapeños [I used canned in escabeche which gave the sauce a nice acid hint], 2 cups cilantro, 5 tbsp canola oil, 5 tbsp water, 1 tsp caraway seeds, 6 cloves chopped garlic, 4 cardamom pods – seeds only and season with salt to taste – makes 2 cups.  Puree everything in a food processor until smooth. So simple but full of great flavor! This burger was my favorite – I almost always choose the option that has a little kick.  Try your own combinations with flavors you love. Experimenting was part of the fun.  

victoria's fave - schug sauce