Eastman's Oatmeal Burgers inspired by The Walking Dead

Welcome to day 4 of Dead Eats: Recipes Inspired by The Walking Dead hosted by myself, Kim at Cravings of a Lunatic and Dionne at Try Anything Once Culinary. I hope you're having as much fun as I am with these recipes—and that you're as anxious as I am for Sunday to finally be here! If you haven't watched the first half of season 6 yet, here's your fair warning that there will be some spoilers in this post!

Here's the thing. I'm a Walking Dead fan through and through. I love the weeks with intense action and I also love those weeks that some people complain about saying they're "too slow" or "too boring" or "nothing happened". That's character development people! To understand people, it's important to know where they come from. Earlier this season we had one of those episodes; it was extra long and calm, giving us time to catch our breath and calm down after the crying, screaming, fist-shaking episode the week before.

In this episode (episode 4 of season 6), we finally found out what happened to Morgan between the time that we saw him bunkered up and crazy when Rick, Michonne, and Carl found him in (episode 12) season 3 and his calm, centered, harm-no-one current self.

This is where Eastman comes in. It's kind of crazy (and a huge attribute to the writers and actors) how you can connect with a character that is only in one episode...even if it is an extra long one. Morgan wanders onto his land, full ready to kill him (and probably eat his goat Tabitha), but Eastman tells him that he can't let him do that. He transformed his own way of life after the loss of his family at the hands of a patient of his (he was a forensic psychiatrist in his former life) through the study of The Art of Peace and Aikido.

So, without diving in much deeper, Morgan's time with Eastman shapes him into the man he is now. Eastman was also a vegetarian. He planted and tended a large garden plot on his land and tried his hands at making goat cheese from Tabitha's milk. One night, as the two are talking over dinner, Eastman reveals his past to Morgan. In this scene, Eastman says:

"I've come to believe that all life is precious. That's why we're having oatmeal burgers."

So I thought I'd try my hand at a version of oatmeal burgers in memory of Eastman. I know that Eastman would have enjoyed these vegetarian burgers that are not only made up of oatmeal (oats), black-eyed peas (how's that for Southern), and farro, but also have a good amount of veggies packed into them.

I bet they'd be even better with a shmear of fresh, homemade goat cheese on top. Something that sadly, Eastman was not able to master while he was still alive.

Oat, Farro, and Bean Veggie Burgers

Loaded with beans, farro, oats, and fresh vegetables, these homemade veggie burgers are packed with flavor and simple to make.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour in fridge

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Keywords: entree vegetarian dairy-free nut-free beans farro oats carrots

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 2 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cooked farro
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 packed cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large egg (optional)
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil, to cook

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients except the oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything is broken down and combined. Divide into 8 even portions and shape into patties. Set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Pour a thin coat of oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium-high heat. Add patties to the skillet (without crowding - do in batches, if necessary) and cook until golden on each side, 6-8 minutes total.

Serve with or without a bun.

More delicious "Dead Eats" recipes from my co-conspirators:

-Pecan Dark Chocolate Bark by Dionne from Try Anything Once Culinary

We are not affiliated with or sponsored by AMC or The Walking Dead. We're just big ass fans.