We've all been there. After a full day of hustling at work or at school, meetings, maybe a workout squeezed in, you arrive home to an empty fridge. Before you jump to Seamless for your evening's sustenance, consider a veggie burger.
Not all veggie burgers are created equal. I recently teamed up with well + good to discuss which store-bought options fit my bill for clean and conscious eating. You can see the feature here.
Hilary's veggie burgers were the gold standard of the frozen burger bunch. The burgers are vegan, kosher, organic, and gluten, dairy, nut, and soy-free. They are made from nourishing and simple ingredients.
To add a fresh and seasonal spin to one of the newest varieties of Hilary's veggie burgers, I leaned on abundant summer squash to make raw noodles, robust and hearty kale for a vegan pesto, and crumbled a curry burger on top for a crunchy flavorful spin.
Since I love any excuse to get in more greens, this pesto offers the ideal opportunity to sneak in nutrient-rich kale to an unassuming dinner. I enhanced the Indian essence of Hilary's curry burger by adding cumin to the pesto and topping the dish with fresh cilantro. Swap around the nuts, add in some other herbs, or mix in some Parmigiano cheese for a non-vegan spin. The options are endless.
zucchini noodles with kale pesto and curry burger crumbles
2 servings
- 2 large zucchini - spiralized or peeled using a julienne peeler (my preferred method)
- 1 small bunch lacinato kale, center ribs removed
- ⅓ cup walnuts, toasted
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes, more if you prefer it spicier
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- The zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil + 2 tsps
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 Hilary's curry burgers
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby for blanching. Add the kale to the boiling water and cook for 45 seconds. Using tongs, transfer the kale from the boiling water to the ice water bath.
- Drain the kale, wrap tightly in a dry kitchen towel, and squeeze well, removing any excess water.
- Roughly chop the kale leaves and place into a food processor. Add the toasted walnuts, garlic, chili flakes, cumin, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest and pulse until the ingredients are well combined. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil until the pesto is smooth and the desired viscosity is achieved. Taste and adjust the lemon or chili flake content, if needed.
- Warm 2 tsps of olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the curry burgers and cook for 3 minutes a side or until brown. Using a wooden spoon, break up the burger into small pieces and continue to sauté until well toasted.
- To serve, toss the zucchini noodles with 2 to 3 tbsps of the kale pesto, top with crumbled curry burger, fresh cilantro, and a squirt of fresh lemon.
This post was created in partnership with Hilary's. The opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Crunchy Radish. To find out where to purchase Hilary's near you, click here.