Wild Rice Pub Burger

Okay, I saved the best for last.  This is, by far my favorite meatless burger recipe - a Wild Rice Pub burger, from a blog that is no longer available online.  :( 

This recipe has it all, texture, flavor, density - everything!  So, here it is: 

First, you'll need to prepare the rice.  You should do this the night before you plan on making the burgers so the rice has plenty of time to cool in the fridge - but an hour or two of chilling will be fine if you are adamant about making it immediately.   :)

Put ¾ cup wild rice (local if you can find it) and ¼ cup brown rice in a medium-sized pot.  Add 3 cups veggie broth, and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  (For the broth, I use 3 cups water + 1 of vegan "beef" bouillon cubes.)  Cover the pot & cook according to the wild rice package instructions, which should be about 50 minutes.  When finished, fluff the rice with a fork & store covered in the fridge overnight.

Now for the burgers!

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp ground flaxseed
• ½ cup + 1 Tbsp warm water
• 2 rounded tsp onion powder
• 1½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp olive or safflower oil
• 1 cup Daiya vegan cheddar cheese
• Cooked & cooled rice
• ¾ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
  

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the flaxseed & water for about 30 seconds, until thick.  (This is your binding agent)  Whisk in all the spices, then whisk in the oil.  Add the Daiya cheese, and stir in the wild & brown rice.  Finally, add the breadcrumbs & stir until everything is well combined.

Drizzle a thin layer of oil on a nonstick skillet or pan, and heat on medium.  Allow the oil to warm, but be careful don't leave it unattended to where it gets too hot!  As the oil heats, measure ½ cup of the burger mix.  Knead & smash with your hands to form a firm, sturdy patty.  Gently add the patty to the hot pan.  Repeat with remaining burger mix until it's all used up.  Cook the burgers on each side for about 3 minutes, until crisp & golden brown on the outside.  Remove from the pan & place on a cookie sheet.

You can now serve the burgers as is or with all your favorite condiments!  Here I used sauteed mushrooms, veganaise, ketchup and romaine lettuce.  DELISH!  My husband and toddler even loved them!  Which says a lot!!!

Leftover burgers freeze well & can be reheated in the oven.
Makes 8 patties.

Black Bean Burgers

This recipe is for a Black Bean Burger.  I like the texture (which is provided by the mushrooms pulsed in a food processor) and flavor of these a bit more than the Lentil-Walnut ones, but I don't always have fresh mushrooms on hand, or black beans cooked so I don't make it as often. And if you don't like mushrooms, don't worry... you honestly cannot taste them when processed with everything else and they really are just there for the awesome texture they provide to the patties.  :)

Ingredients: 

14 ounces of cooked black beans (you may also use a can of beans, drained & rinsed) 
1 10-ounce package cremini (baby bella) mushrooms cut in half or sliced
1 slice whole-grain bread, toasted
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t salt (omit if using canned beans) 
1 t black pepper
1 egg (or you may use a flax egg - 1 1/2 T ground flax seeds mixed with 1/4 c. water, set aside for about 5 mins til thickened)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425° F. Place mushrooms in food processor bowl and pulse several times until coarsely chopped. Tear bread into pieces and add to food processor, along with beans, onion, garlic, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper. Pulse until mixed, then add egg (or flax "egg") and pulse a few more times. Divide mixture into four. Take a quarter of the mixture and form a ball, then flatten with your hands.  Repeat to make the remaining three patties. Place patties on nonstick baking sheet (I use a baking stone). Set baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes, until outside is crispy.

I only have photos of these on the baking stone because I suck and scarfed them down before I thought to take a picture.   Next time I will take one of them on the bun.

Also, this photo shows orange specs in the burgers, which is from the cheddar cheese that the original recipe called for.  I found the cheese to not add any flavor or anything other than added calories & fat to the burgers, so I will omit it going forward.

Tomorrow - my FAVORITE burger recipe, Wild Rice Pub burgers!!

Healthy Burger Recipes! Today a lentil & walnut burger!

I wanted to post and review a few recipes on here, because I haven't done that yet, and I love recipes.  :)

I am going to post my 3 favorite burger recipes.  I started to do them all in one post, but the post became way too long so I'm doing them seperately.  One of the things I like about meatless burgers is that they have they can have the same sides, fixings and appearance of traditional burgers but they're obviously healthier and vegetarian or vegan.  This way, I can make a burger out of ground beef for hubby and a meatless variety for me.  (our son likes both)  So everyone's happy and our plates all look identical.  

The first is for a Lentil & Walnut Burger.  While the texture is definitely different than an actual burger, the flavor is pretty close, and of course, health-wise, it is a much better option.  (No pink slime - a.k.a. ground up intestines washed in ammonia - in this burger!)   What's also nice about this burger is that most of the ingredients are pantry staples of mine, so usually I have almost all of the ingredients on hand, I just need to buy fresh buns from a natural food store when I want to make them.  (I have yet to find suitable bread or buns in traditional supermarkets) 

Anyhow, without further ado, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
• 2 piece bread, toasted OR 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 4 tsp ground coriander
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 chia/flax "egg" (1 tbsp ground chia or flax + 1/4 cup water)

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a small bowl make the chia or flax egg and set aside.

Place lentils in a medium sauce pan and add about 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.   While the lentils are cooking, toast the walnuts by placing them on a baking sheet and cooking at 350F for about 10 minutes until golden brown and delicious. Let cool.

In a food processor, process the garlic, walnuts, toasted bread (or breadcrumbs), garlic & spices until combined.

When the lentils are done, drain and rinse.   Now add oil and lentils and pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils should be visible and left chunky). Add the flax or chia "egg" and pulse a bit more until combined.  Now shape patties with hands (makes about 7 for me, depending on how big yo make them and how much of the mixture you nibble on before hand ;) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a non-stick mat.  (I use a non-stick baking stone)

Bake at 350F for 20-22 minutes on each side for a total of 40-45 mins.  *Make sure you are gentle with them when you turn them over.  Whatever you do, do NOT up the oven temp in an effort to get them to cook faster.  Trust me, I tried once and they were dry, crumbly and the texture was way off.

Now, for some photos.... (disclaimer, I apologize in advance for the quality of the pics, as I am too lazy to take pictures with my actual camera because I have to upload them.  I always use my cell phone so I can email them to my computer. /disclaimer)

the burgers just after being shaped/before they are baked....

 

And, just out of the oven.  The outside of the burger gets a thin, crisp layer, while the inside remains more moist and flavorful.  These are good even by themselves - no bun necessary!  

I did, however, use a bun this time, and had them with a side of sweet potato waffle fries.  Sometimes I have a side salad with them instead of fries and I've even eaten steamed broccoli on the side!  :)  Be creative!
I've used ketchup and mustard but BBQ sauce would also be good on these! (natural BBQ sauce of course) 

 

Here's another pic where I used veganaise, lettuce and tomatoes. 

Do you like meatless burgers?