Emergency Zucchini and Rice Burgers

Sylvia was going so well with her eating. Really truly. I am still not sure what went wrong but this time last week we were hanging about the Emergency Department of the Royal Children’s Hospital and wondering what had made her face swell so alarmingly. All I know is that it might have been these burgers but probably not, and even if it was, I was glad to have them to eat before running off to the hospital.

It had been such a pleasant day. Sylvia and I had been to the city. We had bought clothes for both of us and stopped at a café where I ate vegetarian sushi and Sylvia ate rice cakes in her pram. It was so lovely to sit at the pavement chairs and tables during the day out among leafy trees, cheeky birds and blue skies. Then I headed home, intending to feed Sylvia dinner and make pizza with E for our dinner.

My plans for making pizza went out the door as quickly as we did. The staff were very good at the hospital. Quick to see her, though it seems a follow up appointment will take much longer. We got home at 2am, glad to get to our own beds and even gladder that Sylvia’s face was looking slightly better. The next morning we kept looking at her face and asking ‘Do her lips look a little swollen still?’ or ‘Can you see traces of the rash around her lips lingering?’

It was a frustrating experience because I had made some burgers that I thought she was enjoying a little and I did not feed her anything that she had not tried before. The burgers were really good. I tore one up to put on Sylvia's plate and she helped herself to some of it. Maybe the egg reacted with her. My suspicions are on the strawberry yoghurt. But I am still keeping egg out of her diet for now. So the burgers that were intended to be put in the freezer for when I returned to work were suddenly off the menu.

It is a shame that she reacted when she did because the eggs were the ones from Kathleen’s chooks. I was all excited by them because there was a double yolker. It is ages since I cracked open an egg and found two yolks in it. Why don’t the eggs we buy have such wonderful surprises! Kathleen’s chooks gave me not one but two double yolkers. The second was in a nut roast that I threw together. Both burgers and nut roast used up the rice that I had intended to be a salad at my birthday lunch, as well as the backyard eggs.

I have swithered over whether to post the nut roast but it really was too good not to mention. I made it the following night to use up some failed tahini walnut balls and mashed veggies, as well as the remainder of the rice. I added a couple of eggs and grated a few carrots. This nut roast was excellent so I will give you an approximate recipe below. I loved the flavour of the tahini and the texture of the rice in it.

Sadly, nut roast with eggs also seemed too risky for Sylvia until we knew a bit more about any allergies she might have. I will tell you a bit more about her eating soon. But I recommend these burgers for small and big kids alike, allergies permitting. They are delicious with some chutney as a meal grabbed when running out the door, but I am sure they would also be lovely as finger food or a sit down meal.

Zucchini and Rice Burgers
from The Australian Women’s Weekly Vegetarian
makes about 10-12

1½ cups cooked brown rice (about ⅔ cup uncooked rice)
3 medium zucchini (about 360g), grated
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley (I probably used a bit more)
2 tsp seasoned pepper (I didn’t use much black pepper because I wasn’t sure if Sylvia would like it)
2 eggs
1 cup stale breadcrumbs
125g can of creamed corn
oil for cooking

Mix all ingredients except oil to make a thickish batter. Use hands to shape handfuls into burgers-shaped patties. Brush with oil and place under the grill to cook till golden brown on both sides. (This can take a while). NB the recipe said to fry in a frypan but I find it easier to fry under the grill (or broiler).

Tahini walnut roast
With inspiration from the Vegetarian Society

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
6floz/175ml tahini
6oz/175g walnuts crushed
¼ tsp cayenne
½ tsp coriander seeds. crushed
2 thick slices of wholemeal bread, finely grated
1-2 cups of cooked brown rice
about 1 cup of mashed vegies (I used a potato, pumpkin and white bean mash)
2 eggs
3 carrots, grated

Mix everything together and spoon into a silicone loaf tin (or a well greased and lined tin). Use the back of a spoon to smooth it down. Cook for about an hour at 180 C. It should be firm and starting to brown on top when it is ready. Stand for 10-15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cook.

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