I was quite fortunate this holiday season. My family was amazing in their support of my dietary decisions, and made it damn near impossible for me to look back now. I was on the receiving end of a dehydrator (thanks Lauren!), a high speed food processor (thanks Mom and Bill!), a very sharp kitchen knife (cut my finger within 5 minutes of first use, thanks Mom and Bill…for the knife, not the cut), and a mini food processor (thanks Erika!). All in all, everyone was amazing and I am quite fortunate to have such an understanding and supportive family.
I’m warming up to the dehydrator (pun intended) after many initial experiments. It takes a few failures before you realize what is possible and what isn’t possible. Failed experiments include a baby bella mushroom jerky (dont ask), and and eggplant facon recipe i found on gone raw (i know how i screwed this one up, user error, not the recipe’s fault). I’ve had a few successes as well.
I found a veggie burger recipe on gone raw, but, to be perfectly honest, it was quite bland, so i spiced it up, in the process doubling the amount of ingredients.
Mung Bean Veggie Burger (Raw Veggie Burger, Way #1)
- 3 cups mung bean sprouts
- 3 cups carrot, shredded
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup sage, oregano, thyme, any combination of the three, totaling 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup fresh ground flax seeds
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- dash teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon pepper
- salt, to taste
Super simple to make. I bought my mung bean sprouts at the farmers market, if you are going to sprout them yourself let them grow to 3″-4″ for this recipe. Ground the flax seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder. Shred the carrots, doesn’t really matter how you perform this task, vegetable grater or a food processor will work. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend. Place in the dehydrator for 6 hours on one side, then flip and dehydrate for another 6 hours.
**Note about dehydrating times**
I’ve only had a dehydrator for 2 weeks and I have already figured out one important fact about dehydrating times listed in recipes. Similar to the times i have seen listed in sprouting directions/instructions, the dehydrating times used in recipes are merely guidelines. Each dehydrator is different, and I’m sure that climate and elevation play a role as well. Basically, use your best judgment, and check progress often.
**end of dehydrating note**
Sprouted Lentil Veggie Burger (Raw Veggie Burger, Way #2)
- 2 cups sprouted red lentils
- 2 cups carrot, shredded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup sage, oregano, thyme, any combination of the three, totaling 1/2 cup
- 1/3 cup fresh ground flax seeds
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon pepper
- salt, to taste
Obviously, i didn’t make many amendments. I cut the recipe by a third, more or less, and I substituted sprouted red lentils for the mung bean sprouts. I’m not really sure which recipe i like better, or if i do at all. I definitely like the color of the lentil burger better, and i added a little more cayenne to that version which spiced it up a bit. Try them both, you be the judge.
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