DH's Amish friend had some yummy looking Eggplant at his produce stand. So, we grabbed two of them along with the piles of peppers and tomatoes. Then, it was time for me to find some way to "prepare" it . . . a way that everyone would enjoy.
I found it in my Natural Living Magazine. The date of magazine is unknown, Miss Mia and Aisey have destroyed the magazine with their paper airplanes. But, it does say this is from Farm Cafe in Portland, OR.
Farmhouse Veggie Burger
1 T olive oil
2 whole eggplant, peeled and diced in 1-inch pieces
2 scallions, chopped
1 T parsley, minced
1 cup medium cheddar, shredded
1 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
3 T olive oil
Over low heat in large nonstick pan, heat the olive oil and saute the eggplant until gray and very soft, about 15 minutes. (Okay, this was soooo not the case for me. I started out with stove at about 2 and i wasn't cooking at all. I finally got frustrated as dinner wasn't going to be ready prior to the girls bedtime, so I turned it up to about medium heat and it still took approx another 1/2 hour for the eggplant to gray and turn soft).
Mix together the eggplant and the remaining ingredients except oil and chill for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
Form into 6 patties about an inch thick. (This made burgers that were way too think and big for me . . . so I made 'em smaller and ended up with around 9 patties. In all honesty, I could have made them a little thinner and ended up with 12 good sized patties . . . but I don't like HUGE burgers).
In a saute pan, heat Olive oil until shimmering hot, fry each side of patty until dark brown, about 5 minutes each side. Serve with caramelized onions, spicy brown mustard, roasted red peppers and salad mix.
~ We liked them and will make them again. I love it - I had all of the ingredients except the eggplant. The eggplant ended up being 2 for $1. Therefore, the entire meal plus all the burgers we froze . . . $1.00! Beats store bought veggie burger prices! YAH!
