I really haven’t done too may burgers this summer. I guess I haven’t been as inspired this year because of what’s going on. With that being said, this veggie burger recipe is something that I only see with meat. Mesquite is typically associated with smoked meat. While I am pretty much a vegetarian now, that doesn’t mean I don’t miss meat. Smoked meat is one of my favorite things. However, the Daily Meal came out with a veggie burger that has this smokey flavor right in the burger. It uses mesquite seasoning to impart that smokey flavor. The original recipe, minus the corn topping is pretty healthy. The original stats will include this topping, but when I make it for our diet, I will omit this. The topping has a ton of calorie and sodium laden ingredients. I will not omit the corn, I’ll just add it elsewhere. Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I deleted the corn topping to reduce the sodium and calories.
• I made a salad with the corn to round out the meal and increase the vitamin C and protein.
• Added lentils to the burger to increase the protein
• Using a low sodium mesquite seasoning to lower the sodium.

Here are the final stats:

Here are the recipes:

Mesquite Chickpea Burger

Serves 6

• 0.50 cup(s), Quick Cooking Oats
• 1 cup, shredded, Zucchini
• 0.25 cup, Cilantro
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons low sodium mesquite seasoning
• 300 grams, Sweet Potato
• 1 tablespoon, Oil
• 1 15 ounce can of low sodium Garbanzo Beans
• 0.50 cup dry brown lentils

1. Pierce the sweet potato twice with a fork so excess steam can escape while cooking. Microwave on HIGH 5 to 10 minutes or until tender, turning potato over halfway through cooking. Let stand 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Remove skin from the potato.
2. Bring 1 cup of water and the lentils to a boil in a saucepan.  Turn to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Set aside.
3. Place oats in a food processor; cover. Process until finely ground.
4. Add sweet potato, chickpeas and cooked lentils; cover. Process until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Transfer to a large bowl.
5. Add zucchini and cilantro; mix well. Form mixture into 6 patties. Refrigerate 1 hour.
6. Brush both sides of chickpea patties lightly with oil. Mix Mesquite Seasoning and brown sugar in small bowl. Coat surface of each patty evenly with the rub mixture. Grill chickpea burgers over medium-high heat about 3 minutes per side or until burgers are golden brown with grill marks and heated through. 

Kerry’s Corn and Broccoli Salad

Serves 6

• 1.50 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 pound broccoli chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 0.50 tsp, Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp, chili powder
• 1 tbsp(s), Lime Juice
• 1 clove of garlic, minced

1. Place the broccoli and a tablespoon of water in a microwave safe bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is cooked.  Cool to room temperature.
2. Mix the lime juice, cumin, garlic and chili powder in a bowl.  Add in the corn and cooled broccoli.  Mix well, cover, and place in the fridge for a least an hour.
3. Serve chilled.