Speedy Burgers and Gunsmoke Slaw

Last night I cooked more from Veggie Planet, which is my new favorite cookbook. I made "Speedy Burgers" and took the dressing from a recipe for "Gunsmoke Slaw," but changed the contents of the slaw itself--I used a bag of Broccoli Slaw and the remaining half of a red pepper instead of what the recipe calls for. Everything was sooooo good. The burgers were some of the best veggie burgers I have ever had and I have had a lot. I was very proud of myself. Mike loved everything too. Plus, one of my new roommates and his friend came over and saw me cooking them and we talked about different vegetarian recipes, so I think I will like this new roommate and his friend very much. I just ate another burger for lunch and added some arugula to the slaw and ate some of that too. Yum.

Speedy Burgers
Here black beans, chopped fennel or celery, and almonds are mixed together in minutes, thanks to the food processor. Chopped fresh cilantro adds a bright note, and the cloves and ground coriander provide some earthiness. From start to finish, you'll need no more than 20 minutes to make these burgers. These took me a little longer than 20 minutes and I didn't have cloves, but they were still yummy.
4 slices stale or toasted bread [I used German Dark Wheat bread from Arnold, which I love]
1/2 cup whole or slivered almonds
1 teaspon ground coriander seeds
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspon ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup coarsely chopped fennel bulb or celery
3/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and stems
1 1/2 cups (1 15 ounce can) cooked, drained, and rinsed black beans
1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ or untoasted rolled oats
1/2 teaspon salt, or more, to taste
fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, or more, as needed
1) Break the bread into pieces, and whirl it into crumbs in a food processor. You should have 2 cups crumbs. Transfer them to a large bowl. put the almonds into the processor, and run the machine until they are chopped fine.
2) In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the chopped almonds with the coriander, shaking the pan constantly, for 1 minute or until the almonds taste lightly toasted. Transfer the coriander and the almonds to the bowl of bread crumbs. Add the cloves to the bowl.
3) Chop fine the onion, the fennel or celery, and the cilantro in the food processor. Add the beans, and run the machine in 1-second spurts until the beans are mixed in and mostly chopped (not pureed) [Mine were a little too pureed and it was fine]. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the bell pepper, garlic, wheat germ or rolled oats, salt, and pepper, and stir well (I use my hands), With well-floured hands, form six patties from this mixture.
4) Heat a large skillet or a griddle over medium-high heat, and add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook the burgers about 3 minutes per side. (You may need to cook them in batches. If so, add a little oil to the pan before cooking the second batch.) Serve the burgers in bulky or kaiser rolls or in hamburger buns.
Makes 6 burgers.

Gunsmoke Slaw
This is dynamite stuff! The smoky chipotles, the cider vinegar, and the tang mustard really get these vegetables jumping. But you can control the smoke and heat by starting with a small amount of chipotles and adding more as you see fit. I just made the dressing part and poured it over pre-packaged Broccoli Slaw with chopped peppers. I bet this salad would be good too, though.
2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespooons chopped chipotle pepeprs (dried and soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, or canned in adobo sauce)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup canola or corn oil
2 seedless oranges
1/2 green cabbage head, cored and sliced as thin as possible
2 carrots, grated
5 scallions, both green and white parts, minced
1) Make the vinaigrette: Mix the mustard, garlic, sugar, and salt in a food processor, then blend in the chipotles and cider vinegar. Or mince the garlic and chipotles, and whisk them together in a bowl with the mustard garlic, sugar, salt, and vinegar. While running the processor or whisking, add the oil in a slow, steady stream.
2) Section the oranges with a paring knife: First cut away the peel and the pith, then cut out the flesh by sections, leaving the membranes. Put the cabbage into a large bowl and add the grated carrots, oranges, and scallions.
3) Pour the vinaigreete over the vegetables and toss well. Taste, and add more adobo sauce or salt, if you like. Let the slaw sit for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving. The slaw will keep for 4 to 5 days, covered, in the refrigerator. [I didn't let it sit that long]
Serves 6 to 8