Veggie Burgers...that my husband ate!

We reached a major milestone today. I created a paleo/scd-safe veggie burger... that my husband ate! You have to understand that my husband does not eat vegetables. Well, he does eat green beans and carrots. But that's as far as it goes. So when I added veggie burgers to the weekly menu, he was less than thrilled. However, to his credit, I must say that he not only tried the veggie burger, but he also finished it. 

The biggest challenge I had in finding a veggie burger recipe was one that  would work for both my j-pouch (no beans) and my scd/paleo diet (no soy or corn). So I combined ideas from Paleo blogs including Gluten Free Happy Tummy and the Preppy Paleo. Often when I'm in the kitchen trying new recipes, I often say "Well, this could be one of my worst yet!" (Thanks Dad for the Eeyore-type outlook). And usually it turns out quite delicious. So tonight when I said something of similar ilk, my husband just laughed. Turns out he was right: these were delicious! So with no further ado... 

Sweet Veggie Burgers 
1/2 cauliflower head
1 zucchini 
2 small carrots
1 pepper of your choice (I used orange since I like their sweetness)
1 cup of cooked butternut squash
1 cup of sugar snap peas
1/2 small onion
1 garlic clove
1 TBS olive oil
1 egg
1/4 cup almond flour 
1 TBS Dijon mustard (SCD-legal)

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all the vegetables in the food processor until minced. You don't want them too soupy, so I used the pulse option. You may need to do these in batches. I chopped all the veggies first (coarsely since they were going into the food processor) and added them to a bowl as I went, then minced them in batches in the food processor. 

2) As Gluten Free Happy Tummy says, this next step is vital: using a kitchen towel (if you don't mind it getting stained) or paper towels, squeeze out as much liquid from the veggie mix as possible.

3) Put the minced and drained vegetables in a large bowl then add the egg, almond flour, tablespoon of olive oil, and mustard and mix well. Do not add salt as this would cause the moisture to release from the veggies.

4) Form the veggie mix into 8 patties (about 1/2 cup scoop of mixture for each burger). Try and form them into compact burgers. 

5) Mist with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahreinheit. 

In making this a whole meal (as I like to do around here), might I suggest the following: 

Serve along side kale chips and orange soda (seltzer water and Tropicana orange juice).  I topped my burger with some SCD-legal mayo, mustard, tomato slices, and dairy-free pesto. For Paleo-ites, some sweet potato fries would also be a nice addition. You'll never miss the meat!