I may have mentioned before that me and technology (mainly computers) do not get along. Always been quite hesitant to understand it, learn it and use it. Computers and their over-complicated programs, instructions and codes...yuck. But things starting to change slowly... And dare I to say, I think I'm getting better at it...(don't laugh, I really do!). Don't get me wrong, whenever I see word 'Excel' or hear 'spreadsheet' I'm ready to duck and never be found again, but things are not as bad as they used to be...
After using the Photoshop for the last 3 months, and just when I've started to getting used to it, I've decided to switch to Lightroom. And I could not be more confused with it. In fact, I was so confused, I sat in my kitchen couple of days ago and cried, and then cried some more, and more...I even may, or may not have had punched my computer. Struggle was real. However, I knew that it's only up to me, I can cry some more (which I did anyway), or just bite the bullet, and learn how to use it. OK, I didn't really have to bite the bullet, but I've started to learn how to use Lightroom.
My DNA is lacking something that is called patience, but I did manage to calm myself down, and approached things with different mind set the following day. And just like in that song, what a difference a day makes!!! There is still so much to learn, but at least it makes sense now and I can already say that I love Lightroom!!! In fact, I'm actually starting to enjoy the whole technical side of running your own blog/ website (I still swear a lot at it, but nowhere near as bad as before, progress!!!).
But enough about technology. Let's stop for a second and talk about veggie burger. And that mustard dressing. Combine both together, and you are one step away from food utopia. They are super tasty, healthy (all that fiber!!!) and packed with flavor. Mustard dressing gives it lovely punch and just completes the whole look, don't you think?
The best thing about them is how quick and easy they are to make. Ready in under 30 minutes, you can't really argue with that. Below recipe will give you about 6-8 burgers, and you can store them in the fridge for couple of days, or freeze them and enjoy whenever you fancy. Also, if using canned chickpeas, remember not to waste the water from the can!!! Keep your aquafaba and use it to create the most awesome noms, like this Vegan Meringue or this Strawberry Cheesecake .
They taste best when severed with fresh vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber. You can also squeeze some fresh lime juice on them, just to make the flavors even more interesting! Another bonus, they taste awesome if cooked on BBQ!!! They may need less time than in the oven, but the taste is just as good, if not even better!!! Seriously, what are you waiting for?
Also, just in case if you are wondering, no, these photos were not edited using the Lightroom. I'm hoping the next post will do! 😉
📖 Recipe
Veggie Burger with mustard dresssing
Ingredients
For the Burgers:
- 2 medium carrots (grated)
- 2 medium beetroots (cooked and grated)
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas (drained)
- 1 cup brown rice (cooked)
- handful of fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 onion (minced)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon curry
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
For mustard dressing
- 3 tablespoon tahini sauce
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (can also use tamari)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Mustard Dressing:
- Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Add tiny amount of water if you prefer sauce to be more runny. Set in the fridge for time being.
Veggie Burgers:
- Blend chickpeas, parsley, lemon juice and yogurt together.
- Heat a large pan and add a bit of olive oil, then place garlic and onion and saute for couple of minutes. Add rice and all the spices, cook for another couple of minutes and set aside.
- Add your chickpeas blend, carrot and beetroot and mix with your hands.
- If the mixture feels too sticky, add some dry oats.
- Form burgers and place on a baking tray.
- Bake in the oven at 160 Celsius for about 8-10 mins, flipping them on the other side half way through.
- Serve on the bed of fresh lettuce and drizzle with mustard sauce.
- Enjoy!
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Nutrition
Melissa @ Vegan Huggs says
This burger looks fantastic! Perfectly dressed up!
I totally hear you on the photo editing and such. It can be so frustrating at times. I feel like I'm learning everyday though and that gets me through it. You photos are beautiful! 🙂
annabanana says
Ahh Melissa, you so sweet!!! Thank you so much! Absolutely agree, learning every day, and improving all the time! I'm slowly getting there with LR, and I'm loving it!!! 🙂 It's nice to hear that others are also struggling with this part and I'm not alone!!! 🙂 xxxxx
Kimberly/TheLittlePlantation says
I find the photo editing press of food blogging the hardest. What did help me is that I sat down with a neighbour who is a wedding photographer and before I started the blog she talked me through the key functions of the program I use. Then I googled the rest. Over time things are making more and more sense and I'm sure you'll get your head around it all.
As for the veggie burgers, they look perfect for popping on the BBQ this summer.
Thanks for sharing.
annabanana says
Thanks Kimberly! Glad to hear I'm not alone in my struggle! 🙂 Watching tons of tutorials, etc, but finding time to fit it all in a day is sometimes challenging! But I'm already excited about it, and like you said, it's making more sense with time, so I will practice (Lightroom and my patience) and figure it out in the right time 🙂 How lucky that you've got a neighbour who's a photographer as well! That's awesome, I may put an ad in my neighbourhood and see who's out there!;) xx