Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings: Sushi 'Burgers' with Asian-ish Slaw

Monday, July 7, 2008

Sushi 'Burgers' with Asian-ish Slaw

This meal was one of the more experimental things I have tried and I'm pleased to say it turned out really well. I modified the recipe for the sushi 'burgers' from here. I loved the spiciness of the burger and it even had a slightly "fishy" quality to it, but not overpoweringly so.

I added shredded beets to the coleslaw for some sweetness, which complimented the savory and slightly spicy burger quite well. The dried cranberries offered more sweetness and a nice addition of texture. The peanuts add an additional burst of protein and good fat, while adding a nice crunch to the dish.

The meal was also quite easy as I had my microplane grater and food processor do most of the work for me.















Sushi 'Burgers'
Makes 4 large patties

1/2 cup sushi rice, cooked
1 cup adzuki beans, cooked
1 sheet of nori, shredded
1/2 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded (I used a microplane grater)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and shredded (Again, I used a microplane grater)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated with the microplane (or finely minced)
1/2 yellow onion, shredded with the microplane (or finely minced)
2 hot banana peppers (or jalapeno, Anaheim, Hungarian Wax, Serrano, etc), stems removed, shredded with microplane (or finely minced)
1 1/2 tbsp seasoned brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp shoyu (or other soy sauce)
1 tsp wasabi powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger

In a large bowl, lightly mash the adzuki beans with a fork.

Combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Form into 4 large patties and refrigerate for about an hour to let the patties "set".

Lightly coat the bottom of a small skillet with oil (I used coconut, probably about 1/4-1/2 tsp). Fry patties for about 5-8 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Top with Asian-ish slaw (recipe follows).

Asian-isn Slaw

Salad:
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
1 cup green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 yellow onion, shredded
2 beets, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/4 cup crushed peanuts

Dressing:
2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
1/3 cup peanut oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup seasoned brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2-4 tbsp raw sugar
2 green serrano chilies, seeded and minced (Thai chilies would be even better)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
salt and white pepper to taste

Shred all the salad ingredients except the peanuts and cranberries in a food processor or with a box grater. Set aside.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad.

Refrigerate for about an hour to allow flavors to meld.

Right before serving, stir in the cranberries and peanuts.

This meal had quite a bit more oil in it than I usually use, but we had a more active than usual day. We had this on Saturday, so, as usual, we walked to and from the farmer's market and we also went out walking for a couple of hours with a good friend at a local park, so this meal was very nice after a long day walking outside. We were lucky to be able to walk in a shaded park, it felt so much cooler beneath those trees than out exposed to the scorching sun.

Well, I'm off to prepare a simple dinner, enjoy a fresh batch of sun tea (our favorite recipe is a gallon jug filled with water and 4 fair trade, organic Darjeeling tea bags and 1 organic peppermint tea bag, so refreshing!), and probably take a sneak peek at the book I chose for the month of July's "Blogging Borkworm" review, though I still have to finish Wealth and Democracy by Kevin Phillips (it's a really long book). I chose "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman, he explores how the planet would respond without the pressures of human civilization. Interesting topic to ponder.

Oooooh, and we stopped by the smaller, but still lovely, farmer's market that runs on Monday's and Wednesday's here in Columbia and picked up some gorgeous local peaches. They were so yummy looking we both just ate one right there at the market, along with everyone else who had gotten peaches. :-) Never done that before.... They were so juicy, and perfect, this was my first local peach, and I gotta say, no peach I've had before even comes close. And to think, we got 9 local peaches for $5, who says buying local has to be expensive?

'Til next time.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

That slaw looks gorgeous! Such a beautiful vibrant color--it sounds delicious!

Courtney

Unknown said...

sounds interesting. i've never liked beets but it's been a LONG time since i've had any. maybe i'll make beets my new veggie to try.

peanuts need at least 5 months of warm weather so you have to plant them as early as you can & hope they get 5 months. this is my 1st year trying them, so we'll see. :)

basil so far seems to be easy to grow. i bought the largest plants i could find. i figured they'd fare the best. so far so good. they are known to enhance the flavor of your tomatoes & peppers. i do know they LOVE fun sull & warm weather.

enjoy your dinner.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Oooh, what an innovative dish!! Yum!!

Jan Scholl said...

yum-and I have all the ingredients.

LK Sisters said...

Wow such a unique burger. I love the color of the slaw.

BTW - this is my first time on your blog, and I really like all of your recipes, especially the burritos and sweet potato recipes - so many!

J said...

Courtney - It was definitely very colorful. Beets have a way of, well, turning everything purple, so this is what you get. :-)

Selina - I didn't really used to like beets either. I am still "getting my feet wet" with them, if you will. I won't say I "like" beets, but I've had them in a few very good dishes and I know how healthy and easy to grow they are, so I'm trying to find ways of preparing them that I like. So far, I like 'em raw in veggie dishes.

About the peanuts: I think if I could get them planted by April, we'd be alright. That would give them until September to start fruiting, and it's still warm a few weeks beyond that. We may have to try them next year. It's tough, there are so many things I want to try to grow, but our space is limited. I'm excited to see how yours do, they are coming along nicely right now it seems like. I'm still impressed by your tomatoes, they have really taken off!

Good choice, the healthiest plants, with new growth tend to do the best. Interesting about the peppers and tomatoes. I'll have to throw some basil seed in our pepper pots next year.

Veggie Girl - Thank you, I guess I was feeling experimental.

Jan Scholl - Hehe. I hope you like them if you try them.

LK - Thank you, and thank you.

Welcome! Thank you, hehe, you are going to make me blush with all this praise. Oh yes, burritos are definitely a favorite around here, and we eat a ton of sweet potatoes over the winter. We're always coming up with new things to do with sweet potatoes.

Veggie said...

Oh, cool! These sound so great.

Erin said...

This sounds really yummy! I love shredded beets but don't love shredding them, they turn my hands pink.

J said...

Veggie - Thanks!

Erin - Haha! I know, it takes forever to get it off too. And it turns everything around them purple, I think my counter may be permanently stained in places. :-)