#kitchen witchcraft

Every once in a while, I look at a recipe I've been making and perfecting for years and just realize that every single ingredient works together toward a single magical purpose! It's almost as if the food is asking you to enchant it.

That is the case with these zucchini chickpea veggie burgers. My partner and I make them a couple of times every summer. Firstly, because they are a great way to get a veggie-based protein and keep our meat consumption at a minimum. Secondly because they taste great. And thirdly, because there is always, ALWAYS too much zucchini.

And that's the point, that's where we are going here.

Zucchini knows no boundaries. If you grow it, you will have it out the ears. In my neck of the woods, you can't even give away your excess zucchini by midsummer because everybody has as much as you do.

And that's abundance. Right at its core.

A Slightly Different Look At Abundance Magic

I challenge you (especially if you were raised in Western cultures, specifically America, because that's where I'm from) to rethink abundance magic.

Abundance isn't about how much money you have in the bank. That's the capitalist lie. It isn't about how big your house is or if you have the latest gadget or the fanciest car.

Abundance is about having enough to eat. Abundance is about living in a time of plenty. We are just smart primates, after all.

Instead of focusing on having the newest and shiniest things, we can instead turn to the truest form of abundance: May I have enough for what I need, enough to save, and enough to share.

That's the kind of abundance that this type of meal can draw.

Why Abundance?

Out of the 12 ingredients in these veggie burgers, 7 of them have long-term associations with abundance. Many of them for the exact same reasons as zucchini. Zucchini is abundant because its harvest comes in like a wrecking ball. The same thing will happen with eggs. If you've ever kept chickens, you know that there is a point in every season when you have way, WAY too many eggs. Mint and dill are similar aromatic weeds that will take over your space if you let them. (That's a type of abundance) Most types of flour are made with grains which have an age-old association with the harvest, again, summer abundance, and olive oil is liquid gold.

The other five can be used simply as flavoring (something we should be more comfortable accepting in kitchen witchcraft) or, notably, most of the other five (salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon) have long-standing associations with cleansing magic. If you feel the need to cleanse away or banish your bad mindsets about your own lack, use them for this purpose! Or let them simply be flavoring, that's okay too!

The point here is that all of these flavoring naturally work together allowing us to appreaciate and honor the abundance of summer, and eat it to!

What better magic is there in the world than that?

Setting Up For Abundance in Your Kitchen

Kitchen witchcraft is endlessly personal. You should take eveyrthing I say here as suggestion, leave behind what doesn't work for you.

I like to keep a small kitchen altar (generally the centerpiece at my kitchen table). Sometimes it more complicated, holding small bits of magic of the season but other times it is a simple as a hearth candle. I light my hearth candle when I am doing magic in my kitchen, it is my way of reminding myself and my house spirits that magic is afoot. It's time to settle in and pay attention.

For abundance magic, in particular, I like to work with sigils that I have crafted specifically for this purpose. If you don't have a sigil of your own, the Elder Furthart rune Fehu (prosperity) is very well suited to this type of magic. It combines especially well with the rune Jera (year) when it comes to harvest magic. I consider this type of work harvest magic.

You can carve your sigil into your zucchinis before you grate them, or carve the rune into your veggie burgers after they have been prepared. Or, you can go a step further, and add your herbs to the top of your burgers in the shape of your sigil. If you need to be more circumspect, you can draw the rune over your food with your finger or a wand or kitchen utensil.

I like to speak words over my food. I tell each of my ingredients what I love about it and what i am hoping it will bring to this meal. I thank the spirits for the harvest and leave offerings as I cook. I also give my kitchen spirits an offering of a small bit of every magical meal.

That is, of course, simply my practice. You need to bring your own magic to the (kitchen) table. Just like with all spellwork, if my process doesn't work for you, adapt it.

A note here: I use dill and mint in this recipe; if those aren't your favorite, use different herbs and spices that have associations with abundance. There are many, use what tastes good to you.

These veggie burgers are good on their own and make a hearty meal. I've served them on buns, on top of a summer salad, and with tzatziki or ranch dressings. They keep for days in the fridge, reheat well, and can be frozen and thawed. I've cooked them on my stovetop, in an air fryer, and on the grill.

Zucchini Chickpea Veggie Burgers

2 small or one large zucchini, grated and dried

1 15-oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup of crumbled feta cheese

1 tbs fresh dill

1 tbs fresh mint

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

1 tbs lemon zest

2 green onions, chopped

2 eggs

4 gloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup flour

Olive oli

Salt and pepper to taste

Shred the zucchini with a food processor or grater, sprinkle with salt, and set it aside on a paper towel for at least 15 minutes before squeezing to drain the liquid.

Add chickpeas to a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Mix in the feta, dill, mint, lemon juice, green onion, eggs, and garlic until it has an even consistency

Add in flour gradually and stir to combine

Note: this type of veggie burger can be affected by the overall humidity in your home. You may need more flour if the air is very wet (or you didn't drain your zucchini well enough) or less flour if things are very dry. You are making a dough-like consistency; the mix is done when you can form it into patties

Cook over a greased surface. Each patty should be about 2-3 tbs of batter to hold its shape well; cook for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve immediately with a lovely sauce topping (see above for suggestions)

recipe based on ina garten's crispy chicken thighs with creamy mustard sauce

potato: moon, pluto, attraction, aphrodisiac, health talisman

mustard: sun, mars, exorcism, cursing, fertility, attraction, vigor

onion: mars, saturn, exorcism, binding, healing, and protection from disease

bay leaf: divination, prophecy, protection, allure, marriage, oblation, wealth, protection from malefica, success in gambling, protection from disease, weather magic, sun, jupiter

garlic: mars, exorcism, warfare, protection from maleficia, preservation

coriander: mars, exorcism, binding, marriage, allure, ward against disease, visions, & summoning

parsley: mars, mercury, venus, love, prophecy, divination, exorcism, protection from lightning, conquering, rousing, refreshment, revival, invigoration, virdity

this is mostly UPG, with some information from The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home, by Arin Murphy-Hiscock. i implore you to figure out your own associations with the tools in your personal kitchen.

A little for those days when you feel stuck.

1 black tea bag (I am fond of lapsang souchong when I have it because the smokiness is perfect. But use whatever works best for you!)

Cinnamon chips

Ginger root

Orange peel

Adjust the proportions to suit your taste. I tend to prefer a little more orange peel, but my aunt always preferred a more cinnamon-forward note.

As the tea steeps for 5 minutes, watch the steam for a moment. Say, "Heat to the herb, life to the bone. I'm taking back control, I'm taking back the throne."

Adding honey and milk to your tastes and sip your tea, visualizing pulling yourself out of your rut and breaking through obstacles.