Indian Samosa Burgers with Avocado "Chutney" !

This past summer I traveled to Costa Rica to study for a month and I wanted to share some pictures of my travels with you guys! They are extremely vegan friendly there!  During my studies, I was assigned to stay with a host family which I was nervous about because I didn't know whether or not they would understand my food preferences but they turned out to be the most amazing people! They went out of their way to make me an endless variety of vegan meals and the food was AMAZING. The fruit in Costa Rica, especially the pineapple and mango (which are my favorites!) were the best I have ever had and made up most of every meal people eat there! Every restaurant that I went to had some form of vegan or vegetarian food and there were even a couple of vegan/vegetarian restaurants near my school in Heredia.

The culture there is so peaceful and relaxing and they really live up to their title of “Happiest Country  in the World!” The local saying “Pura Vida” which means in some way a relaxed life and the people of Costa Rica really represent that. Coming from NYC, I’m used the constant fast paced way of life so slipping into the Costa Rican mindset was so relaxing and worry free! I miss the amazing fresh fruit and the carefree way of life. If you’re a vegan planning to go on vacation, I recommend Costa Rica 100%!

- Alexis

Indian Samosa Burgers

• 2 small Potatoes
• ¼ - ½ cup Ground flaxseed
• ¼ cup Grated Carrots
• ¼ cup Frozen Peas
• Half of an Onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons whole flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (my version below) or to taste
• ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper or to taste
• Salt to taste

Directions

Boil peas ahead of time and set aside.

Grate carrots in a food processor and set aside.

Peel potatoes, chop into 1 inch chunks and boil in a small pot until a fork can pierce them but not until mushy.  Put potatoes and grated carrots into a food processor and process until smooth, if you like yours chunky just process less.

In a big bowl, mix together potato and carrot “dough” with the onion, garlic, ground flaxseed, whole flaxseeds and spices and then gently fold in the cooked peas so you don’t break them up.

Form the dough into patties and lightly fry them over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides. If not eating right away, store cooked veggie burgers in an airtight container and freeze until ready to use.

Garam Masala

• 1 tablespoon Cumin
• ½ tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Mix together all spices and put into an airtight container.

 Avocado Chutney

• 1 Avocado, mashed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Half of an onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ tablespoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Directions

Mix together the avocado, vinegar, mustard and cayenne pepper and set aside.

Sauté onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent and tender and mix together with the avocado paste.

Put in an airtight container and refrigerate.