Baked Beet-and-Carrot Burgers

This recipe came to me via family in Portland.. I'm not sure exactly what the origial source is.  They are some of the best veggie burgers I've had though! Last time we made them, we did a huge batch (grating all those beets and carrots by hand was a major pain, so this time we'll be using our new food processor).  We froze a whole bunch of them and could always have a quick and easy meal by popping a couple of them into a frying pan!

Ingredients

butter for greasing baking sheet or some parchment paper
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups peeled, grated beets (about 1-2 med beets)
2 cups grated carrots (about 4 carrots)
1/2 minced onion (about 1/2 onion)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
3 tbs flour
2 tbs soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking sheet (we line with parchment paper, which we then use as separators between the patties when we freeze them)

2. Place a small heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir them in the dry skillet until lightly browned and fragrant (about 3-5 minutes) - careful not to burn them! Remove from heat and transfer to a dish to cool.

3. Toast the sunflower seeds in the same way you did the sesame seeds.  Add them to the dish containing the cooling sesame seeds.

4. Combine the beets, carrots, and onions in a large bowl, then add all of the other ingredients.  Mix well.  You will probably need to get your hands in there!

5. Form patties, squishing out excess liquid as you do, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.  The recipe says it makes 12.

6. Bake until brown around the edges - about 20 mins.  You probably don't need to, but you could flip them partway through cooking.

Enjoy on buns with you favourite toppings or just on their own with some salad or steamed veggies on the side.