Last week was one of my lucky weeks. We went to a new restaurant that came highly recommended from our friends (and boss'), Five Star Burgers. The ambiance was nice, although a little cold. You could definitely tell it was new and that some of the servers have never waited before. Totally ok in my book. I'm a good experience for them..."Is there eggs in this?", "Do you butter that?", "No aioli, please..."
Cody ended up getting a green chili cheeseburger of sorts. It came with green chili mayonnaise, onions, and pickles. No lettuce or tomato, which I thought was a little odd. I chose the veggie burger and I was not disappointed. The burger was hanging over the buns, the flavor was out of control, and I honestly couldn't even finish it. We split a side of sweet potato fries. For the money, I was thinking we'd get a little more, but since I had so much burger, it was fine. Of course, you know me: all I could think about was how to recreate this burger. So here it is. :)
Veggie Burgers
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
2/3 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour (you could easily use whole wheat or even brown rice flour here. Hooray for gluten-free substitutes!)
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced, green parts only
1/2 cup mushrooms, minced
1/4 cup roasted red peppers (I had a jar in the fridge!)
1-2 green chillies, diced (optional, but not in this household)
1 handful fresh baby spinach
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp tahini (optional)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
dash salt and pepper, to taste
oil for frying
1. Get your vegetable broth boiling in the microwave or on the stove top. Meanwhile, put the TVP in a medium-sized bowl. Once your broth is boiling, add to TVP and let it hydrate for about 15 minutes. Add flour, egg replacer, vegetables, nutritional yeast, tahini, and spices. Mix well. If it's too sticky, add a few extra tablespoons of flour. If it seems too dry, add a few tablespoons of water.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil or cooking spray. Shape about 1/2 cup of burger mixture into a patty, place carefully in pan, and cook until golden to dark brown. Flip; cook on the other side.
Voila! I served mine on sourdough bread because...well...that's what I had. I threw some fresh spinach on top because I didn't have lettuce and I lurve spinach. I also took some of my Vegenaise and mixed it with one chopped up green chile so we could enjoy tasty green chile "mayo"naise. So tasty.
PS: Don't forget about my sweet, sweet GIVEAWAY!!! Get on it!
PPS: Now I leave you with something to brighten your day. As if this recipe isn't enough! Yes, I toot my own horn.
When I worked at the radio station there was a place across the street called Veggie Land. It was there I had my first veggie burger and it was delish! I will definitely be trying this one!
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