The New York Times Ultimate Veggie Burger, Personalized Version
The best home-made veggie burger I've tried yet! This version is very slightly modified from the original version (at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016668-the-ultimate-veggie-burger?mcubz=2) to suit my peculiar tastes and labor-saving (aka lazy) cooking methodology. There's a fair bit of prep work, but after that, it's a pretty easy road to yummy veggie burgers!
- 4 oz extra-firm tofu (frozen, drained, cubed, and squeezed as dry as possible!)
- Olive oil, as needed
- 1/2 pound mushrooms, any type you prefer, sliced (the recipe calls for cremini, but I found that white buttons did a good job)
- Black pepper, as needed (plus salt, if you want it)
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, well drained
- 1 medium beet, peeled and grated (you should end up with about 3/4 of a cup) OR 3/4 a cup of crushed Terra beet chips (I had no beets around the first time I tried the recipe and the beet chips worked out well -- though picking all the beet chips out of a bag of Sweets & Beets can be a bit annoying and is certainly more expensive than just using a beet!)
- 3/4 cup cashews
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs (or panko, as called for in the original recipe)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp dried chopped chives
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 veggie Italian sausage, chopped (the origianal recipe calls for crumbled tempeh - I suspect any fake meat will work here)
- 1/2 cup cooked rice (or dried oatmeal), plus more if needed
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place a piece of parchment paper on to a baking sheet and lightly oil a large glass baking pan (I used a 12 x 6 inch pan).
Place tofu and mushrooms into a bowl, add a tablespoon or so of oil and pepper, and stir to coat all pieces. Spread this mixture out on the parchment paper and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes. When it's done, most of the liquid should be cooked out and the tofu and mushrooms should be starting to brown.
Place the drained beans, grated beets, another tablespoon or so of oil, and pepper into the baking dish. Stir to combine. Bake for 15 minutes or so, until the beets have begun to brown and the beans begin to split.
Remove the vegetables and beans from from the oven and set aside to cool. Turn off oven.
After everything everything cools down, place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until everything is combined, but don't turn it into mush - not only are a few chunks okay, they're desirable! :) If the mixture is too wet, add more oatmeal or breadcrumbs until a good "moldable" texture is achieved. Scrape the mixture into into a bowl and chill for 2 hours.
To make burgers: Divide the mixture into however many portions you'd like (the original recipe suggested six, I ended up with eight burgers) and shape them into patties. The original recipe suggests grilling them or in a skillet. I fried them in a little olive oil in a nonstick pan for about five minutes per side. You can store uncooked burgers in the refrigerator (my first batch lasted about a week - the original recipe states that you should use them up within 5 days). They freeze well, too!
Place tofu and mushrooms into a bowl, add a tablespoon or so of oil and pepper, and stir to coat all pieces. Spread this mixture out on the parchment paper and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes. When it's done, most of the liquid should be cooked out and the tofu and mushrooms should be starting to brown.
Place the drained beans, grated beets, another tablespoon or so of oil, and pepper into the baking dish. Stir to combine. Bake for 15 minutes or so, until the beets have begun to brown and the beans begin to split.
Remove the vegetables and beans from from the oven and set aside to cool. Turn off oven.
After everything everything cools down, place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until everything is combined, but don't turn it into mush - not only are a few chunks okay, they're desirable! :) If the mixture is too wet, add more oatmeal or breadcrumbs until a good "moldable" texture is achieved. Scrape the mixture into into a bowl and chill for 2 hours.
To make burgers: Divide the mixture into however many portions you'd like (the original recipe suggested six, I ended up with eight burgers) and shape them into patties. The original recipe suggests grilling them or in a skillet. I fried them in a little olive oil in a nonstick pan for about five minutes per side. You can store uncooked burgers in the refrigerator (my first batch lasted about a week - the original recipe states that you should use them up within 5 days). They freeze well, too!