CONTEST ENDED Arborio Veggie Burger with Spicy Vanilla BBQ Sauce

A week ago you learned about my new group, Virtual Potluck, where 12 of the 20 bloggers chosen to participate in the Emeril’s One Pot Blogging Party decided to stick together after the party and create a new group called Virtual Potluck.  Since launching last week our emails have been busy with companies wanting to work with us.  One of the companies was Marx Foods who sent each of us a box of goodies.

In the box was 2 packages of 3 each Madagascar Vanilla beans, 1 package of Italian Vialone Nano Rice (Arborio type rice usually used for Risotto), 1 package of Lobster Mushrooms, 1 package of Matsutake Mushrooms, 1 package of Puya Chiles and 1 hefty package of Japones Chiles.  Each of us got a little something different with the mushrooms and chiles, but everyone got the vanilla and nano rice.  If you pop over to Cookistry, you’ll see what the other Virtual Potluckers brought to the party with their box of tricks and you can also check out and enter their giveaways as well.  12 chances to win gourmet goodies?  Oh yeah!

I decided I wanted to use each component of the box and quickly came up with a veggie burger concept.  But what to do with the vanilla.  Spicy Vanilla BBQ sauce was born.  Ok, maybe Steven Raichlen, the KING of all things BBQ had already delivered that brain child, but I made it my own.

Back to the burgers.  I have 2 young kids, as you have probably read in past posts.  They are pretty amazing foodies, but there are a few things I need to sneak by them, like mushrooms.  So I figured veggie burgers would do the trick.  They both enjoyed the burgers very much….(sigh of relief).  The quinoa adds a nice flavor balance to the nano rice and the mushrooms give the burger a nice earthy flavor.  I didn’t miss the meat one bit!!

Now for some fun!  I’m giving away 2 of the goodies from my box.  They were not used in the making of the burger, they are as they were received from Marx Foods in their original packaging.  Here’s what you could win:

Contest has ended.  
The winner of the Vanilla Beans and Chiles is:
Susan in the Boonies!!!

Email me at Heather@farmgirlgourmet.com as soon as you can with your address and I’ll get your gourmet goodies in the mail!

Susan in the Boonies said…13
I’d make vanilla sugar.
Would NEVER have thought to put it in a BBQ sauce!
11:50 AM 
1 Package of 3 Madagascar Vanilla Beans & 1 Package of Japones Chiles

The Rules…

  • Leave a comment below telling me what you’d make with your vanilla beans.  
  • Giveaway runs from November 21, 2011 until Friday November 25, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. PST
  • Winner will be announced Friday night or Saturday morning and chosen via random.org
  • Giveaway open to US Addresses Only
During this giveaway, Marx Foods is also offering up 10% of everything on their site just for being a fan of us Potluckers.  Here’s the info!!


Enter “POTLUCK” into the “Coupon Code” field at checkout to receive 10% off everything in the store.  

Offer valid 11/21/2011 through 11/27/2011

Arborio Veggie Burger with Spicy Vanilla BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups arborio/nano rice, cooked 
1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped (any variety – I used Lobster & Mastutake)
2 puya chiles, reconstituted with boiling water and chopped fine
1/2 cup green pepper, finely diced
2 tablespoons chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions
1 In a large bowl combine the precooked arborio rice (leftovers work great), quinoa, mushrooms, chiles, green pepper, chili powder, salt and pepper and flour.  Mix well to combine.  Add the water, oil and breadcrumbs and stir just until incorporated.  
2 Heat a skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray.  Using damp hands, mold about 1 1/2 cups of mixture into a patty and place in the frying pan.  Try not to crowd.  Get a good crisp on the first side before flipping, about 3 minutes.  Flip the burger and repeat on the other side.  Repeat with remaining burgers.  Serve with lettuce, tomato and Spicy Vanilla BBQ sauce (recipe follows).

Spicy Vanilla BBQ Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 white distilled vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons grainy dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Tabasco
2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Hickory Liquid Smoke
1/2 vanilla bean, slip lengthwise, seeds scraped
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1 Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer 10-15 minutes.  Put leftover bbq sauce in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Cooks Note: Using a device such as a George Foreman type indoor grill will not work for these burgers because of their moist consistency, they will be squished by the weight of the cooking plates.  Pan frying is best.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on Farmgirl Gourmet are my own and based on testing and/or personal experience. I was sent the box of ingredients listed above free of charge, and was not monetarily compensated for this post or my opinion.  The giveaway of product was my own decision and is at my own expense for shipping costs.

Written by

Heather is the author of the food blog Farmgirl Gourmet. An avid home cook, amateur photographer and organic gardener. She lives in Spokane County, Washington where she develops family friendly recipes from her 100 year old kitchen.

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