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Favorite Recipes Spinach Burgers

Well, I was really hesitant to try these vegetarian burgers that my sister highly recommended to me because I cannot handle cooked spinach as a general rule.  However, my sister can't stand spinach either and she and her family love these!  So I had to try them too, and oh...my...gosh...they are spicy and DELICIOUS.  *smile!*  And SO good for us!  Served with a whole wheat hamburger bun, some stir fried onions, and a little ranch dressing. - holy cow, it's a new family favorite.  And here's the kicker!  I used an entire 2.5 lb. bag of Costco spinach in a double recipe!  That's an amazing amount of protein and nutrition!  See TheVillageCook.com for good photos on how to make these.

* Makes about 6 burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 (10 oz. bags) spinach, frozen or fresh-frozen chopped, (thawed) and well drained
• 2 egg whites
• 1 whole egg
• 1/4 c. diced onion
• 1/2 c. shredded cheese (I use half co-jack, and half Parmesan; my sister uses cheddar)
• 1/2 to 1/3 c. Panko bread crumbs (found at Wal-Mart in the baking aisle; these bread crumbs do not absorb moisture and so stay crispy.)
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 
• Olive oil, for frying

Instructions:

1. (When I say that I used fresh-frozen spinach I mean that I bought it fresh but froze it to keep it longer; so it still needed to be thawed and dried.)  To drain the spinach, either squeeze small quantities in paper towels, which uses almost an entire roll of paper towels; or press spinach in small quantities into a fine strainer with paper towels and let water drain in to the sink.  Get the spinach as dry as possible for best results.  I use my food processor to chop the spinach.  (Note: a double recipe uses an entire 2.5 lb. of Costco spinach if you use fresh).
2. Mix all ingredients well in a bowl.  (I like to mix everything but the spinach first, and then add to the spinach.)
3. Form in to burger-sized patties (or you can do spinach balls)
4. Heat a nonstick skillet over med-high heat and add a little olive oil to fry the burgers in.
5. Cook 4-6 minutes on each side.  (Tip: I preheat the oven to 250 degrees and place a foil-covered baking pan in there where I put the cooked patties to keep them warm and crisp while I'm frying the rest of the recipe.
6. Serve either by themselves, or in pitas, or on whole wheat hamburger buns with stir fried onion, and a little ranch dressing (that last one is our favorite!).

Blessings on your pallet!  *smile*

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