Veggie Burgers Worth Trying

From Yahoo and One Green Planet

5 Delish and Healthy Homemade Veggie Patties for Your July 4th BBQ!

By One Green Planet | Shine Food – Wed, Jul 3, 2013 11:12 AM EDT

 

 

 

To anyone who enjoys a "real" burger, the veggie burger patty has often been dismissed as a laughable imitation of the classic hamburger, with a foundational ingredient missing. While this may have been true in the past, things have started to change for the meatless version of this American classic. In fact, in recent years, the veggie burger has managed to transcend its early incarnations that we're designed to replicate (mostly with limited success) the taste and texture of its famous cousin, the hamburger. Creative chefs discovered that the lack of meat was not a limitation, but instead an opportunity to embrace healthy ingredients like vegetables, quinoa, lentils, beans, brown rice, and other grains to create veggie patties.

Today, the veggie burger may not have yet achieved iconic status as an American sandwich, but it has definitely found a place in our meat-dominated food culture. So, if you're looking to skip on meat this summer, avoid the frozen veggie burger patties found in grocery stores around the country and try one of these amazing recipes instead. Not only are they versatile, adaptable and delicious, but unlike the hamburger, they also come with countless benefits.

Here is our list of 5 Must-Try Veggie Patties!

1. The Ultimate Veggie Patty

If a recipe doesn't rock your socks off, we are not going to call it ultimate. Folks, this veggie burger is vegan, gluten free, grain free, low carb, and doesn't taste like the socks it rocked off. These miraculous patties of joy are endlessly customizable to whatever you want. Add in different veggies, beans, flavors… you have no excuse not to make these because they adapt to whatever you have on hand. So actually… you should go make these now. Let your imagination (and your taste buds) run wild!


Serving size: 2 patties (entire recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chickpeas
• 3/4 cup veggies, fresh or frozen and defrosted (see note above)
• 2 Tablespoons chickpea flour
• 1 egg white or 1 1/2 teaspoons egg replacer plus 2 Tablespoons water
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

 In a food processor, combine all ingredients and pulse until blended (but not completely pureed; you still want the burgers to have some texture). Heat a greased or nonstick sprayed skillet over medium high heat. Spoon half the chickpea mixture onto the pan and spread it out with the back of a spoon to form a patty shape. Repeat with the other half of the chickpea mixture. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until golden, and flip. Cook on the other side for a few more minutes or until golden and beautiful then turn off the heat, transfer to a plate, and devour.

2. Red Lentil Veggie Patty with Kale Pesto
 While you may enjoy veggies, getting your loved on to eat a veggie burger may require some persuasion. Use this recipe to get them to cross over; it's not chewy or mushy. It is crispy on the outside, so they feel grilled. The patties are super tasty and they won't even care it's veggie!

Inspired by Mike Chung from the blog, Chung Eats.

I have been working hard trying to perfect a recipe for a hearty, filling, and scrumptious vegan burger patty. While I totally enjoy being vegan, my boyfriend still needs constant persuasion that eating vegan food can bring all the pleasures a meat-eater enjoys. As per his request the burgers cannot be chewy or mushy. They also need to be crispy enough on the outside so we can pretend the patties were grilled. The patties should, of course, be super tasty so I can keep convincing my omnivorous boyfriend that being vegan is cool and delicious.

Red Lentil burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of dry red lentils (cooked in 4 cups of water with bay leaves and dashi seaweed to reduce gas)
• 1 cup of raw almonds, pulsed into a rough meal
• 1/2 cup of raw sunflower seeds
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 2 small potatoes, shredded
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 tbsp agave nectar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Mix the chia seeds with 1/4 cup of water. Set aside so the mixture can gel.
2. Wash and cook your lentils. Set aside and let them drain and cool as much as possible.
3. Cook the carrot and the potatoes with the spices in olive oil just until they soften. About 5 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. Combine the drained lentils, almond meal, chia gel, soy sauce, and agave nectar in a food processor and mix until a uniform but slightly chunky mass is formed.
5. Combine the lentil mixture, sunflower seeds, and the cooked vegetables in a bowl. If the mixture is too wet, add more almond meal. If the mixture is too dry add some water. Do not make it too dry or the burgers will fall apart in the oven.
6. Measure out about 1/4 cup of the mixture and shape into patties. Bake the patties for about 20 minutes on each side or until each side is crispy.

Kale Pesto

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups of washed, chopped kale
• 4 tbsp of agave nectar
• 1 tbsp dry basil (that’s all I had, but to make it extra delicious use 1/4 cup of fresh basil)
• 1 tsp of dry oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup of water

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients except for water in a food processor. Blend until a paste texture is achieved.
2. If the mixture is too dry, gradually add water, 1 tbsp at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

 We eat these patties as a post workout meal because of the high protein content found in lentils and chia seeds. The carrots and kale pesto take care of your vegetable servings while barley and potatoes provide the carbohydrates. The sunflower seeds take care of some amino acids as well as your healthy fats. This is a vegan meal that is delicious and complete. Kale pesto is raw and is packed with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium. It is also relatively high in protein. Perfect for growing and maintaining muscles.

3. Cajun Burger Patties
 These cajun burger patties are super tasty, and are also really quick to put together. The base is kasha, which are toasted buckwheat grains. They're a gorgeous brown color, and shaped like a pyramid. They also have a nice toasty flavor, which goes really well with the grilling season. These hold up fairly well on the BBQ, since kasha cooks to be fairly dry, but all veggie patties (veggie or meat) are prone to sticking when they're fresh and soft. There are some tips below on preparing the grill and the burgers for cooking, so be sure to read through them first if you plan on cooking these straight on the BBQ.









These cajun burgers are super tasty, and are also really quick to put together. The base is kasha, which are toasted buckwheat grains. They’re a gorgeous brown color, and shaped like a pyramid. They also have a nice toasty flavor, which goes really well with the grilling season.
These burgers hold up fairly well on the BBQ, since kasha cooks to be fairly dry, but all burgers (veggie or meat) are prone to sticking when they’re fresh and soft. There are some tips below on preparing the grill and the burgers for cooking, so be sure to read through them first if you plan on cooking these straight on the BBQ.
You can also check out a free video showing exactly how to make them.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Time from start to eating: 45 minutes
Makes enough for 4 burgers.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup kasha (toasted buckwheat)
• 2 carrots, grated
• Handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp dried basil*
• 1 tsp dried thyme*
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano*
• 1 tsp paprika*
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard powder*
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)*
• Salt and pepper, to taste

*or 1-2 tsp chili powder and 1 Tbsp mixed dried herbs, or 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
Preparation:

1. Put the kasha in a pot with 2 cups of water. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt in the water, bring it to a boil for a couple of minutes, then turn down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. For these burgers, it should cook to be fairly dry. The ratio of water is important here.
2. Once it’s cooked, stir the grated carrot, fresh parsley and spices into the buckwheat. Form the mixture into patties and bake, fry or BBQ into a burger.
3. To bake: form into patties and lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put them in an oven at around 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until browned on the outside. Flip them after about 20 minutes to get both sides browned.
4. To fry: heat a pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil and put the patties in the pan, being sure to get some oil on the bottom side. Allow them to cook for 5 minutes on both sides.
5. To BBQ: heat the grill, then brush it clean and spray with oil (using a sprayer filled with olive oil is the best). Gently lay the burgers on the grill, let them cook for 7 minutes or so, then very gently flip them and cook another 5 minutes.

BBQ Notes: To make them more solid for grilling, you can freeze the burgers before grilling them. Even if they’re only partially frozen, they’ll hold up better. If you want to be sure you’re not going to run into disaster, put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and BBQ them with the lid down, like an oven.
Serve your burgers on a bun, with tomato, lettuce and your favorite condiments (homemade guacamole is amazing on these), or try having them over a green salad.




4. Raw Yam Burger Patty and Daikon Fries
 All that's in these patties and fries is a whack load of vegetables and spices. Goes like this: throw stuff in the food processor, rub things with your hands, toss something in the dehydrator and you'll get a gourmet raw food meal in no time! (Okay, we may have simplified that process a little.) But seriously - it's pretty much that easy. Look at the colors of this recipe!



 
All that’s in these burgers and fries is a whack load of vegetables and spices. Goes like this: throw stuff in the food processor, rub things with your hands, toss something in the dehydrator and you’ll get a gourmet raw food meal in no time! (Okay, I may have simplified that process a little.) But seriously – it’s pretty much that easy. Look at the colours of this food.
It’s alive. I’m alive. Let’s boogy.
yam burgers & daikon fries with ketchup: serves 5 or so
Burgers:

• 1 yam
• 2/3 cup green onions (or onion)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 dates
• 5 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 4 large mushrooms
• 4 garlic cloves
• Salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, basil, turmeric, paprika (to taste)

Fries:

• 1 daikon radish (the size depends on how many you’re feeding)
• 1 teaspoon veg oil (optional but recommended)
• Salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, basil, turmeric, paprika (to taste)

Ketchup:

• 1-2 tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
• Salt (to taste)
• 3 dates
• Water or lemon juice (as needed)

Preparation:
To make the burgers: prep the veggies as needed and cut them into chunks. Then pulse all the ingredients in your food processor until everything becomes a thick, wet-ish mixture, but don’t pulse too long. You want pieces of the food still visible and you don’t want it to be too wet. Adjust according to taste. Then form into patties and dehydrate for 3-4 hours, or use your oven at it’s lowest temperature.
To make the fries: peel the daikon and slice into fries. Rub in the oil and spices. Dehydrate for 3 hours or in your oven at it’s lowest temperature, (or you could eat them raw if you like).
To make the ketchup: blend all ingredients in your food processor or blender until smooth, adding liquid as needed. Adjust according to taste. Serve the burgers, fries and ketchup with lettuce, tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, onions, sprouts, avocado, and anything else you like. Enjoy!





5. Portobello Patties
Full of flavor, these plant-based burgers are extremely versatile. Time for cooked method: 10 minutes prep; 2-3 minutes to cook Prep time for raw method: 10 minutes; 10-12 hours to dehydrate.

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Full of flavor, these plant-based burgers are extremely versatile. Time for cooked method: 10 minutes prep; 2–3 minutes to cook
Prep time for raw method: 10 minutes; 10–12 hours to dehydrate
Makes 4 burgers
Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 cup ground flax seeds
• 1⁄4 cup hemp seeds
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1⁄2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tbsp EFA oil
• 2 tbsp brown rice miso paste
• 1 tsp pressed garlic
• 1⁄2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1⁄4 cup chopped walnut pieces
• 2 medium Portobello mushrooms, (chopped into large cubes)
• 1⁄3 cup quinoa flakes (for cooked method only; omit for raw method)

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except walnuts and mushrooms, and process until well combined. Turn off the processor and add in the walnuts and mushrooms.
2. Pulse just 3 or 4 times until the mushrooms are diced, but do not blend. Remove mixture from the processor and transfer to a medium bowl.

Raw Method (best):

1. Shape the mixture into 4 balls and flatten into patties on a teflex or nonstick sheet.
2. Dehydrate for 10–12 hours at 115°F, then flip and transfer to a mesh sheet and “cook” for 2 more hours.

These keep for several days wrapped and refrigerated, and can be reheated as needed.
Cooked method:

1. Mix the quinoa flakes into the mushroom mixture and let stand for 20 minutes.
2. Sauté the chopped mushrooms in a dry pan for 2 or 3 minutes to cook out some of the moisture.
3. Follow the rest of the recipe to form burgers.
4. To cook, shape the mixture into 4 balls (press firmly to compact) and form into patties.
5. Over very low heat, oil the pan with 1 or 2 tbsp coconut oil.
6. Add the patties, and cook approximately 10 minutes on each side. The patties will remain soft on the inside but utterly enjoyable.

To Serve:
Try “protein style” on a salad with a mustard vinaigrette, in a collard green with avocado and vegetables


This post was originally published on One Green Planet.

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/5-delish-healthy-homemade-veggie-patties-july-4th-151200625.html