When our granddaughter decided she wanted to move from a meat to vegetarian diet, we started putting together a list of all the dishes that she loved. The idea was to experiment with some recipes to create substitute meals. She found a recipe for veggie burgers that provided a variety of ingredient choices to suit ones taste. With that list and an excellent recipe my niece, Janine, had sent me, I came up with the following recipe. It was my first attempt and it worked perfectly – great texture and delicious.
You will also find two of Janine’s recipes that you might like to try. She found them on the Internet somewhere and then adapted/modified them to suit her own preferences. Let us know which one suited your taste best. If you really want to be adventurous, I’ve added a more detailed list of ingredient choices you might want to explore.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup onion (chopped fine)
1/4 cup bell peppers (diced)
1 tbsp celery (chopped)
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup red lentils
1/2 cup black beans
tofu (optional)
1/2 ground oats
1/2 cup rice
2 tbsp catsup
1 tbsp mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 egg (beaten)
Optional:
1/4 tsp worchstershire sauce
dash of hot pepper sauce
Directions:
In a small fry pan, sautee onions, peppers, celery and garlic in oil until translucent.
Rinse lentils. In small saucepan add lentils, a pinch of salt and 2 cups boiling water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes (until soft), adding small amounts of boiling water when and if necessary. Drain.
Cook rice according to directions. If using black beans, cook according to directions, rinse and drain.
I usually use my food processor to grind the oats. Along with the oats, add cooked vegetables. lentils, beans, tofu and rice to the food processor. Pulse 5 to 10 times to combine everything. Don’t overdo it as you do not want a paste. Transfer mixture to large bowl, add remaining ingredients, mixing well. I usually use my hands for this. Form into patties using about 1/3 cup of mixture for each.
Place patties on parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Don’t skip this step as it helps the patties to stay together during baking. Preheat oven to 350° and bake for 7 minutes. Flip and bake for another 7 minutes.
Serve immediately or cool and wrap each burger in foil. Place them in a freezer bag and freeze for later.
TIPS:
You can substitute with your choice of spices, lentils with black beans, rice with quinoa, etc. I think it’s a matter of imagination and experimentation. See what works for you.
My great niece, Genia, tried this recipe as well and gave it a big thumbs up! She didn’t have any red lentils on hand at the time so she used black beans and said the burgers were delicious. Here are the photos she sent me.
Thank you, Genia!
Black Bean Burgers
modified by Janine Freeman
Ingredients
15 oz can black beans
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup ground oats
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Grease pan or line with parchment paper.
Rinse and drain beans. In food processor, mash beans, condiments and oats. Divide into patties. Bake for 7 minutes, flip and bake for another 7 minutes.
Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers
modified by Janine Freeman
Ingredients
1 med to lg sweet potato
1/4 cup quinoa (cooked)
1/4 cup oat flour
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tsp cumin
olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)
other spices (chili powder, paprika, garlic, onion, etc)
Directions
Make oat flour (use food processor until it resembles fine flour). Preheat oven 400° .
Dice potatoes in 2 cm cubes and toss in salt, pepper, oil and other spices). Bake potato for 20 minutes or until tender and starting to get crispy. Transfer to a bowl and mash. Add quinoa, oat flour, egg, cumin. Mix until well combined. Make Patties (approximately 1 heaping tablespoon); fry in frying pan in olive oil.
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The following are choices you can make from the various food groups and spices. The portions are also entirely up to you depending on what recipe you are making and the quantity you need.
Standard Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1–2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
oil for cooking
2 Cups Cooked Vegetables (Pick 1-3)
(finely diced or chopped)
sweet potatoes
beets (golden or red)
carrots
mushrooms
spinach
kale
corn
squash
broccoli
cauliflower
artichokes
zucchini
bell peppers
1 Cup Cooked Grains (Pick 1)
millet
quinoa
bulgur
rice
buckwheat
1½ Cups Cooked Legumes (Pick 1-2)
canned beans (e.g. black, pinto, cannellini, kidney)
lentils (red or green)
chickpeas
soybeans
mung beans
adzuki beans
black eyed peas
½ Cup herbs/Seeds (Pick 2)
fresh herbs, finely chopped (e.g. cilantro, basil, dill, parsley, thyme, sage, chives)
scallions, thinly sliced
chopped nuts (e.g. walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews)
chopped sundried tomatoes
chopped olives
flax seeds
chia seeds
sesame seeds
mashed avocado
unsweetened nut butter (e.g. peanut, almond, cashew)
tahini
3 Teaspoons Spices (Pick 2-4)
cumin
chili powder
smoked paprika
cayenne powder
Italian seasoning
black pepper
fennel
oregano
curry powder
coriander
cinnamon
turmeric
citrus zest
½ Cup Dry Base (Pick 1)
ground oats
cornmeal
bread crumbs
panko
almond meal
