Curried Cashew Burgers

• I know the word 'Curry' scares a lot of people. It does smell strange but it tastes delicious. Mark and I were both a little nervous about this vegetarian recipe but it was pretty good and Mark has requested that it receive a permanent place in our recipe book. I made adjustments to the recipe (the way I posted it is how I made it) but you can find the original recipe here. 

The Eating Well website has been a life saver this week. I decided to try living as a vegetarian for (at least) a week. This website provides a 28 day vegetarian meal plan for 3 different caloric requirements. Superb!

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• Ingredients:
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
• 1 cup diced peeled carrots, (2-4 medium)
• 1/2 cup red beans
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup chopped onion, (1 medium)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 6 6-inch whole-wheat pita breads

Directions:

1. Combine 2 cups water, carrots, beans and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer until the carrots are cooked, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain in a colander, gently pressing out excess liquid. Transfer to a plate; let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast cashews in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder and the remaining 2 tablespoons water; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Pulse the cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the beans and the onion mixture; pulse until the mixture is cohesive but still somewhat textured. Transfer to a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; mix well.
5. With dampened hands, form the mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties, using about 1/2 cup for each.
6. Cook 2 to 4 patties at a time in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until evenly browned and heated through, about 4 minutes per side. Cut small ends off pitas and open the pockets. Serve burgers in pitas.

*Serving Size: 1 burger

Calories: 437 calories

Fat: 15g fat

Carbs: 65g

Protein: 16g

*This information is based on the original recipe (without my adjustments).