Raw Spinach Burgers

Raw Spinach Burgers

Tis the week of juice pulp! This time, green juice leftovers get dressed up in an incredible raw parsley and spinach burger. More on that in just a moment.

For those of you catching up on CR posts for the week, the first thing you should know is that I’m moving to DC. Surprise!

The second thing you should know is that readings week give me more than the average amount of time in which to juice. And more juicing means more juice pulp, which can lead to all sorts of tasty recipe creations, like these:

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One of my favorite uses for juice pulp is to use it in raw “burgers.” I have a recipe for “conservation burgers” that I really like, but this week I decided it was about time for a new spin on an old classic. I had a tub of green juice pulp in the fridge, and it was heavy in parsley and spinach—so heavy that I wondered whether the taste might overpower my regular old pulp crackers. That’s when it occurred to me to mix the pulp with ground sunflower seeds, salt, lemon, and flax, and let a burger take shape. It did, and it was delicious.

Gena’s Spinach Burgers (almost raw, vegan, GF, soy free if you use coconut aminos)

Makes 4-5 burgers

1 cup sunflower seeds (do NOT pre-soak)
3 tbsp tamari, nama shoyu, or coconut aminos
2 cups green juice pulp (kale, parsley, celery, romaine, cucumber, broccoli–whatever you have!)
1/4 cup flax meal
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano

1) Place sunflower seeds in a food processor and process with the “S” blade till well ground.

2) Add remaining ingredients and process till well mixed.

3) Shape into 4-5 burgers (I had about four) and place on a Teflex lined dehydrator tray.

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(Yeah, OK, these are not a very appealing color. They’re dehydrated greens, flax, and seeds, for Lord’s sake! But the taste defies the hue.)

Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 4 hours, flip, and dehydrate for another 4. Serve over salad, in a raw wrap, or slice up for a very nutrient dense snack!

If you don’t have a dehydrator, just bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

I enjoyed mine today over a large salad of early summer bounty: organic greens, cherry tomatoes, summer squash, and a little peak of hummus–which, if you don’t know it already, makes great salad “dressing.” Great lunch!

Raw Spinach Burgers

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The texture, by the way, is the best I’ve had in a raw burger. So unbelievably dense and moist at the same time:

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I’m pretty proud of this one. So glad I have three left!

Well. I feel good about my recycling karma this week. Hope you guys give some of these recipes a shot. And, for those of you who wrote in saying you don’t have a juicer: I know better than anyone what it’s like to live on a pretty significant budget. That said, I think juicers are a great investment. You can get a good one for $150 or less, you’ll buy it back in juices quickly, and it’ll stand the test of time. It’s not as essential in my kitchen as, say, a food processor, but as you can see, the benefits of owning one go far beyond the juice itself. These pulp recipes are great fun!

xo

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Categories: Main Dishes
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Raw

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    44 Comments
  1. YUM. I can’t wait to try these. I’ve just gotten into juicing again, and these would be perfect for my pulp. Yay!

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  3. I treated myself to a Dehydrator for my birthday and am making spinach patties … quite tasty. I’m glad I found this site to jog the idea 🙂

  4. Wow! I think this is the best thing I”ve ever made. For the juice pulp mine was carrot, parsley and cilantro. I also used walnuts instead. Thank you!

  5. Silly question maybe, but can I use a blender with water and greens as a substitute for the green juice pulp?

  6. Gina- these look and sound amazing. do you think i can use whole spinach leaves (non pulp)? or would that throw off the recipe?
    thank you

  7. Hi Gena, I was wondering if you bought coconut aminos in a store. I googled it and found a website, but it listed stores that did not actually carry it! My boyfriend is allergic to soy and this would be a perfect replacement, but I am not willing to pay the $10 PLUS shipping costs! Any thoughts? If you find a place in DC, that would also be helpful, as I’ll be up there in 2 weeks for a conference. Thanks! I’ll be making these tonight 😀

  8. I made these and loved them! I made them last Sunday and it took me until Thursday to finally try them (the color made me nervous…should have trusted you!) They are SO good! I really like the flavor and texture of these. I will definitely be making these again.

  9. Thank you so much for this. I’ve been working towards increasing raw foods for the past few months. My Excalibur arrived yesterday, and I am so excited to try this.

  10. Hi Gena. I made your pulp burgers yesterday. I have to tell you they are genius. The best burgers I’ve made and tasted. I did some minor changes to them. I also hope you don’t mind but I put the recipe up on my blog. I gave you full credit and linked to your web page. I hope this is alright and that you don’t mind. If you would like to see my version, I used a mix of seeds and infused basil digon mustard. You can check out my blog:
    rawveganani.blogspot.com.

    They are fabulous. thanks again.

  11. Gena,

    Did you include the lemon in the burger? Thanks, I can’t wait to try these!

  12. I saw a juicer selling at the Japanese market for under $100!! I’m debating…debating…debating….oh Gena, you’re a bad influence on me. ;-p

  13. Gena!

    These look awesome! If only I could get up the courage to use my green star again… we’ve been on a break for a couple weeks and my body does not like it. It’s telling me JUICE JUICE JUICE… I’ll just have to get over it and face the cleaning. I’ve been into using up what I have in my pantry and only buying produce lately, so this could be good for me. Also, I haven’t gotten the chance to congradulate you on your move. I send you light and love, and good luck on this new chapter of your life. I wish you only the best!

  14. “Yeah, OK, these are not a very appealing color.”

    But…we both live on green foods! No need to apologize for the color of living nutrients! :-p

    Actually, I wasn’t writing to tease you. I wanted to say that I don’t have a juicer but I *do* have a vitamix and a nut milk bag and I drink quite a lot of green juice because of it! I find that adding some water to the mix helps. I also don’t have a dehydrator, but I love my pulp crackers in the oven! Yesterday I had a total mishap, though. I forgot to line my pan before baking and THEY WOULD NOT UNSTICK. Now I have “bread crumbs” instead. Not what I was gong for, but still a usable culinary accident…though annoying when I wanted crackers…

    • I had to laugh about the crackers cause I’ve done exactly the same thing! Glad I’m not the only one 🙂 xx

  15. There’s something about dehydrated spinach that is so yummy. I think it’s that complex, slightly sour, earthy taste. For those of us without juicers, I bet it would work with whole spinach too. And I love parsley!

    Agree that a juicer is a good investment, but I’ve just decided to get a dehydrator and can’t get both–one step at a time!
    Have a lovely weekend
    love
    Ela

  16. Gena those burgers look perfect! It has been awhile since I have had a raw burger and the funny thing is Michelle and I always talk about making one but never really get around to doing it haha

  17. Just added this to my list of things to make this weekend! I made your pulp crackers last weekend and loved them. It felt good to not waste the pulp like I normally do and have a delicious healthy snack on top of it. Next time I’ll leave out the fruit pulp (green apple & lemon) like you suggested. Great tip!

  18. mmm, I’m always looking for new ways to use leftover pulp, and these burgers look wonderful! Next on my list, I think (:
    Thank you for sharing!

  19. Hi Gena! Congrats on your move to DC!! I am a teenager in the Northern VA/DC Area and I have just started my own blog! I love your blog and it inspired me to start my own! If you get a chance to check it out, that would be wonderful and I would be so honored! Thank you for being an inspiration for me to start a blog! -Lauren
    teeneatlive.wordpress.com

  20. Even though I’m not vegetarian these days, I still adore spinach burgers – so tasty and so packed with nutrients. I’d never even thought to put one on top of a salad packed with even more delicious veggies and nutrients!

  21. Gena, these are possibly the BEST looking raw burgers I have ever seen. I love the recipe, I love that it uses pulp, that its free from: sodium, garlic, onions (not a fan of any as I know you generally arent either) and GF and vegan. SCORE!

    And the photography is truly lovely.

    Job well done!

    Funny that you had more time for juicing even tho life was super hectic for you. I find when I am really busy the last thing I want to do is juice b/c me + juicer cleanup = not a good thing. I am the slowest at it, I swear. It just takes me forrrrevvvvver to clean my juicer. lol

    Happy packing…soon 🙂

    • I was hesitant about getting into juicing as well because of the clean up. However, I’ve got an Omega 8003 and it literally takes 2 minutes to take it apart, clean it, dry it, and reassemble it for the next time. It gets used twice a day – wheatgrass in the a.m., and green juice in the afternoon.

      One batch of broccoli kale burgers coming up!

  22. Perfect. I’ve got 2 cups of juice pulp lingering in the fridge and this will solve the week’s usual budgetary quandry, plus the fact I really can’t face doing a grocery shop in our volatile “spring” weather. You’re a gena-ius.

    Hope the finals went well and that the packing is progressing in a relatively stress free way. You must be doing really well at your pre-bacc to be able to transfer from one great school to another. Good for you.

  23. They look amazing! I made a raw beet burger with sprouted lentils that was very red, almost like raw meat red (EEK) but, looks aside, it was tasty! I will definitely have to try this recipe!

    • Hey JLgoesvegan, would you mind sharing your lentil/beet burger recipe with us? Thanks, hope to hear back from you soon. “VeganLove” ✌

  24. These looks really great Gena! I dont own a juice, but as you say it is a good investment- I hope I can buy one soon!
    Thanks for all you lovely recipes and inspiration to live a balanced life- it is so refreshing!
    I wish you a happy weekend!

    • I freeze the pulp and then unthaw it as needed. Aside from some frozen berries, essentially my freezer is full of nothing but juice pulp. This way I can go on cracker (or whatever) making binges and fill the dehydrator instead of just making small batches.

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