Baked Beet and Carrot Burgers with Brown Rice, Sunflower Seeds and Cheddar Cheese

From “Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables.”

½ cup sesame seeds

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1 cup sunflower seeds

2 cups peeled, grated beets (2 medium beets)

2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)

½ cup minced onion

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup vegetable oil*

½ cup finely chopped parsley

3 tablespoons flour*

2 tablespoons tamari

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.

Return the skillet to the heat and add the sunflower seeds. Stir them until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to the dish with the sesame seeds.

Combine the beets, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the sunflower and sesame seeds, eggs, rice, cheese, oil, flour, parsley, tamari and garlic (your hands work best here). Add cayenne and mix until thoroughly combined.

Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 patties and arrange them in rows on the baking sheet.

Bake the patties until brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Unless they are very large and thick, it should not be necessary to turn them. Serve alone or on buns.

*I used half the amount of oil and more flour than the recipe called for. Bread crumbs could also be added to help bind the patties. And a word of warning: mixing and shaping the patties by hand will cause you to look like you killed someone when you are through. Luckily, beet juice comes off skin easily.

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