Public transportation in cities lends itself to some of the most interesting people-watching, particularly when you use it in the middle of a weekday. Yesterday on the T (for you non-Bostonians, that’s the pet name we use for the public transit system we so love/hate here), I watched as a middle-aged woman with cakey makeup, a large dangling crucifix necklace, and a walker hobbled onto the subway car I was in. She wasn’t even fully into the car when she snapped at a woman sitting in priority seating, “that seat is for the handicapped- I’m handicapped! You didn’t see the sign, did you?! *f bomb f bomb f bomb*.” The seated woman apologetically got up, as did her husband who was sitting in the next seat, and everyone continued the ride in silence and distance from this angry handicapped woman.
An exchange like this is definitely not uncommon, in Boston or elsewhere, so it would have been easy to move on with my day, as I usually do, unaffected by this scene that made up just a small, transient part of my day. But lately I’ve been in a more thoughtful mood, and so I started to think about how I can better react to these types of things. Think as I did, though, there was not a single thing I could think to do- nothing I could say, no seeming point of connection with which to reach this woman. And who wants to draw attention to themselves on the T? Not me, no thanks. As I was thinking, we reached the next stop, and the handicapped woman got up to get off. As she was getting her walker off the car, another middle-aged lady, about to board, smiled, helped her, and told her to take her time.
This type of un-earned kindness, blind to a person’s ugly parts (not necessarily the same as naivete), is needed in more abundance in this world. Because who of us is without ugly parts? I wanted to tell this kind woman, who ended up standing next to me, how her kindness may have been what was needed to break a cycle of hostility in someone’s life. But I didn’t, because I was on the T, and no one talks to each other on the T. I regret not telling her, sort of, but at the same time, maybe it’s ok for me to let that type of thing just happen sometimes. It should be enough satisfaction for me to witness a good thing, without having to chime in and validate my own appreciation of it through words. Although maybe that’s what I’m doing here… I guess what I mean to say is that, though we have a responsibility to take care of this world we’re in, including its people, it’s not ultimately up to us to make things right. We are not in control of the universe, but we can trust that things will be made right.
Ok, so this rambling has literally nothing to do with today’s recipe. Soooo, awkward transition- here’s a lentil chickpea burger I made, inspired by one at a restaurant I like in Harvard Square. I ordered it all three times I’ve eaten there, but I found out recently that they replaced it with a different veggie burger! Noo! I’m sure this new one is equally as awesome, but I do miss the old one, so I decided to try making it at home!
It took me several rounds to get it right, and even still, I think it could probably use further perfecting. (The pictures in this post are from all three trials, which is why you may spot some differences, such as my nail color…) One thing to definitely note: when mixing together the patty ingredients, use a food processor, not a weak blender, like I did the first couple of tries. I reeeeally wanted it to work, but it just wasn’t meant to be. It’s not me, blender, it’s you.
Another side note: recently, I’ve been really into home-made frozen foods. I like wrapping pre-portioned entrees into cute little packages, and I even more so like not having to worry about cooking from scratch after a long day of work. These veggie burger patties have been serving me well for these reasons. Be expecting more freezable recipes here, because I dig quick-and-easy weeknight meal prep!
lentil chickpea burgers with tzakiki on naan
- Servings: 6-7
Ingredients:
for the patties:
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 small carrots, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked green lentils
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
2 eggs
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt and pepper
Flour or cornmeal, for dusting
for the burgers
6-7 pieces of naan (I used Trader Joe’s brand, as the very oblong shape lends itself well to sandwiching things!)
tzaziki sauce
green leafy vegetable of choice: romaine, baby spinach, baby kale, etc
feta cheese
Directions:
1. Pulse onion, carrot, and garlic in food processor until roughly chopped
2. Towel-dry chickpeas and lentils. Add to processor, along with eggs, oats, herbs, spices, salt and pepper. Process until chunky
3 Divide into 6-7 portions and shape into patties about 1 inch thick. Dust lightly with flour or cornmeal
4. If saving portions for future use, wrap each patty individually in a piece of wax paper and store in freezer.
5. Cook patty in a thin layer or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Allow cooking for 4-5 minutes on each side.
6. Assemble burger by warming naan, spreading tzaziki on naan, and layering greens, veggie burger patty, and cheese.