Lettuce Turnip the Beet McMuffin

Each man is a half-open door/leading to a room for everyone, wrote Tomas Tranströmer. This line is ever on my heart at the Thanksgiving table, the very place a hallway for kindred souls. Each face a doorway; each smile the light beneath it.

So grateful to have my brother visiting Minnesota for the first time. He texted from his layover that he was starving to death, so I made this and brought it to him at the airport. Can’t beet family.

Lettuce Turnip the Beet McMuffin

Adapted from the Post Punk Vegan Kitchen

1 1/4 cups cooked, cooled brown rice

1 cup cooked brown or green lentils, cooled, drained well

1 cup shredded beets

1/2 teaspoon salt

Fresh black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme, rubbed between your fingers

1/2 teaspoon ground fennel (or finely crushed fennel seed)

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3 tablespoons very finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons smooth almond butter

1/2 cup very fine breadcrumbs

Make the Tartine English Muffins

Peel beets and shred with the shredder attachment of your food processor, then set aside. Change the attachment to a metal blade. Pulse the brown rice, shredded beets and lentils about 15 to 20 times, until the mixture comes together, but still has texture. It should look a lot like ground meat, which is a nice psychological bonus.

Now transfer to a mixing bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. Use your hands to mix very well. Everything should be well incorporated, so get in there and take your time, it could take a minute or two.

Place the mixture in the fridge for a half hour to chill.

Preheat a cast iron pan over medium-high. Form the patties. Each patty will be a heaping 1/2 cup of mixture.

Pour a very thin layer of oil into the pan and cook patties for about 12 minutes, flipping occasionally. Do two at a time if you’re pan isn’t big enough. Drizzle in a little more oil or use a bottle of organic cooking spray as needed. Burgers should be charred at the edges and heated through.

I just made a stack of these, uncooked, and put them in my fridge. All set for Thanksgiving weekend. Did them for dinner last night burger style with chard and again this morning as an egg mcmuffin for my bro. I think the egg mcmuffin won.

Izzy loves having Dave here. In my opinion, she’s hogging him. If each person is a half-open door, Izzy is a half open garage door.