I love burgers, but I don't love ground beef. Back in my vegetarian days, I frequently ate various brands of veggie burgers, or made my own lentil or bean burgers. I have missed the Garden Burgers the most - I actually prefer a good veggie burger to a beef burger. But check out this list of ingredients in a national brandname veggie burger: TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, WATER FOR HYDRATION), CORN OIL, EGG WHITES, CALCIUM CASEINATE, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF MODIFIED TAPIOCA STARCH, ONION POWDER, MIXED TRIGLYCERIDES, CANOLA OIL, HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (CORN GLUTEN, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY PROTEIN), DEXTROSE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SALT, YEAST EXTRACT, SUGAR, CARAMEL COLOR, WHEY*, METHYLCELLULOSE, SPICE, GARLIC POWDER, MALTODEXTRIN, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, SOY SAUCE (WATER, SOYBEANS, SALT, ETHYL ALCOHOL, WHEAT), AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, ASCORBIC ACID, THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), NIACINAMIDE, SESAME SEED OIL, SOY LECITHIN, IRON (FERROUS SULFATE), THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), VITAMIN B12. Never mind that I don't eat soy, gluten, most grains, or dairy anymore. Even barring that, there are so many ingredients that are unsavory. And they are processed, frozen, shipped, stored over such a long period that I'm quite sure that most of the nutrients have died a long, slow death by the time anyone actually gets to eat one. I've tried various homemade bean burgers over the years. They come out heavy and starchy and taste, well, like beans. They also bring with them all of the indigestibility of legumes, which I try to avoid for the most part. I've grilled portabella mushroom caps, which is nice, but not as satisfying as a burger you can sink your teeth into. Last spring, I made a batch of a veggie burger "dough" which included mushrooms, onions, garlic, carrots, peppers and ran it through my Vitamix. The result looked like (literally) a pile of horse crap in the skillet on my stove. Besides looking unappetizing, it didn't hold together and cooked unevenly when I tried to fry it as a patty. Most of it ended up in the trash. Pulling from different ideas I've seen online, and my own preferences for taste, and also needing this to be grain-free, I developed the following recipe. It was perfect - held together for cooking, had a firm, satisfying texture, and even looked kind of pretty - in a veggie burger sort of way. (For folks with nut allergies, I think this could be tasty without the nuts but would add in something else for some crunch in their place such as grated carrots, celery or peppers, diced finely, quinoa or oats if you eat grains. For vegans, you only need to replace one egg to make this a vegan recipe. Use your favorite egg replacer, or try no egg at all. I think they would probably still hold together because of the sweet potato.) Ingredients: 2 Tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup onion, chopped very finely 2 cups mushroom, chopped very finely (I used portabella caps) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup sweet potato, diced 1 tsp tamari or Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup nuts, chopped finely or food processed (I used a blend of almonds and cashews) 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg 2 Tbsp tapioca starch (regular flour or other starches could be substituted if you aren't gluten-free) 1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, mushroom, garlic, sweet potato, and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes. 2. While it sautes, prepare nuts. I chopped them by hand, only because I couldn't find the right attachment for my blender. Add nuts and combine everything. Allow to cook for 5 more minutes. 3. Put mixture into a mixing bowl. Using a hand "masher", mash up the mixture as much as possible. The sweet potatoes will break down entirely, the mushrooms slightly. 4. Add salt, tapioca starch, and egg. Combine well. 5. Add a little more oil for frying to the skillet. Form the dough into two patties using slightly wet hands, and fry over medium heat, for 3-5 minutes on each side. The patties will brown up nicely. I served ours on eggplant slices that I had cooked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes on each side, along with sweet potato oven fries. We topped it with our favorite burger toppings - ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc. It was delicious. Next time I will double the recipe and freeze a few.
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AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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June 2019
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