The Beans, Grains & Greens Burger

Did you guys know you can pretty much make a veggie burger out of any combination of beans, grains & greens? Provided you get a consistency you can shape into a burger (even if it is delicate) you really have myriad options in the v-burger department.

Here's one I made recently:

Winter Risotto, Russian Kidney Beans, and Kale Burger!

I just took my leftover Winter Risotto, added my Russian Red Kidney Beans (was a pressure cooker recipe I had made recently), mashed those up with a fork, added more cooked carrots, whatever organic kale I had left in the fridge (I just chopped it up raw and put it in), added some roasted red peppers, organic raisins (I love raisins in balls & burgers!), fresh lemon juice, olive oil (jalapeno oil!), chopped raw organic walnuts, salt, pepper, and then mixed in some old fashioned oats to dry it up a bit.  You could also just use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, chickpea flour, or any kind of flour, really, to dry up a very moist burger mix.  I like to use oats because they are tasty.

Here it is in the bowl:

I wish I had this right now!  I could totally go for these, they were awesome (esp. since all the work was already done, leftover grain dish + leftover bean dish= awesome burgers).

And here it is formed into patties and placed on a well-oiled, rimmed baking sheet:

 Bake at around 400 to 425 for like 15 minutes per side.  You want them nicely browned on each side. You'll know your oven better than I do as far as the specifics.

Delicious, crispy, totally flavorful burger.  I love the crispy kale parts, it's like having kale chips in your burger!

I had mine in a burrito, I get into burrito phases with everything!

And hubby had a more traditional burger, but still Mexican themed:

So, check your fridge.  Do you have leftover grains, beans or greens? If so, make a BGG (beans, grains & greens) burger. 

You won't be sorry!

Holiday Help: Make Ahead Tips!

If you want to have time to actually enjoy your friends and family during the holidays (or during any get together that you are hosting) it's important to develop some tricks so that you aren't in the kitchen the entire time of your gathering.  Of course there are always things like store-bought hummus, olives from the olive bar, pre-cut veggies, etc. and even complete feasts that are made for you (like the Tofurky holiday feast!).  But, when it comes to breakfast, there is nothing quite like home made pancakes and tofu scrambles.  I like to have me (and serve my guests) a delicious home made breakfast for the holidays!  And I don't want to be in the kitchen all morning making it.

Today, I'm going to talk about making breakfast ahead, which applies more if you have overnight guests (which we  always do since my family is a bit too far away to do a day-trip).

Make Ahead, Freeze Ahead Breakfast (or lunch, or dinner!) Burgers:
To prepare for Thanksgiving his week, yesterday I made the Denver Omelet Burgers from Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet.  I formed the dough into patties (uncooked) and then "flash" froze them on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat mat (get one if you don't already have one, it saves a TON of parchment paper!!).


Here's how: put uncooked burgers on the Silpat (or parchment paper) make sure your patties aren't touching or they will freeze together.  Put the whole Silpat lined cookie sheet with burgers on it into the freezer (you don't even have to cover it).  I left them in the freezer on the mat for a few hours (you can leave them overnight, too, it's not a big deal).  Once they are frozen solid, you can transfer them to a tightly sealed ziplock bag and freeze for the duration.  You can do this with just about any veggie burger.

Here are my Omelet Burgers and a few Perfect Pancakes that I flash froze.  

Now, you can cook the frozen, uncooked burgers directly from the freezer.  Just saute for about 3 minutes per side in a cast iron saute pan in a little oil.  I tried a frozen patty today to test it, and it worked perfectly.  They cook right through and brown very nicely (and tasted better and had a better texture than the fresh one I made right from the batter yesterday!).  It pays to test!!

Make Ahead, Freeze Ahead Pancakes: 

As far as pancakes go, you do have to cook those prior to flash freezing.  Allow them to cool completely after cooking. Freeze them on the baking sheet in the same way (on the Silpat).  Once they are frozen, bag em.  Then, you can still use them directly from the freezer.  Just put them in the toaster oven for a few minutes to re-toast them.  I use my oven's little tray, line it with foil and spray the foil with a little canola oil before I put the pancakes on the tray (they can stick if you don't spray the tray) and spray them a tiny bit on top so they get nice and crispy when they are toasting.  I'm sure you could put them right on the rack in the toaster oven, too, without a problem (but I like them sort of "fried" a tiny bit in that extra oil :-)

Now, I have frozen breakfast burgers and frozen pancakes and all I have to do is just saute the burgers and toast the pancakes when my guests come.  Or, when I'm hungry.  SO easy.

Here is my "tester" breakfast this morning :-) I fried the Omelet Burgers right out of the freezer. Works great!

Those pancakes were also frozen and just re-toasted in the toaster oven! AWESOME.

For more easy breakfasts, try my Easy Baked French Toast.  You can make the tofu mixture the night before (I'd say minus the egg replacer, add that right before you are going to pour it over the bread) and keep it in the fridge, then just pour it over your bread in the morning about an hour before you want to bake it!

Also, don't forget you can always buy fresh bagels and just make your own spreads. I like to use Tofutti better-than-cream-cheese and then mix in various things like fresh spinach, herbs, garlic, sundried tomatoes, etc. by blending in my food processor, fun! Home made hummus or bean-based dips are easy, too.  A big pan of baked oatmeal or would also be easy and low-maintenance

You can also freeze cookies and brownies.  Bake them as usual, allow them to completely cool.  Then, wrap cookies individually in aluminum foil and put in a ziplock bag in your freezer.  I guess you could "flash" freeze cookies as well, but I like them individually wrapped so I can just grab a cookie or brownie square out of the freezer whenever the need strikes.

Gotta run, I have to make some vegan sausage patties or maybe the Log Cabin Burgers and more pancakes (banana pancakes!) and freeze them all for T-day weekend.

Are you guys making anything ahead for the big day?  What are some of your make ahead tips?

Black Bean Burgers of New Jersey

I developed a NO sauté NO food processor veggie burger and I am so proud!  It is also (mostly) gluten free, as I don't particularly like vital wheat gluten in vegan burgers sometimes.  You could sub for the breadcrumbs with oats ground up in your food processor or more chickpea flour or other gluten free flour. And, it's soy free, for those of you who are allergic to soy! These are super easy and taste fantastic.  Perfect for the 4^th of July weekend that is quickly approaching!  Bring your vegan treasures to an omnivorous party and watch them get gobbled up (make a double batch if you are taking them to a barbeque!).  Try to use as many organic ingredients as you can, but if you don’t have any on hand, conventional ones are OK.  Enjoy!

AWESOME Black Bean Burgers of New Jersey J

Soy free, (mostly) gluten free, pretty much work free :-)

2 cans black beans (organic if possible!!)

1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ sweet onion, chopped

½ cup chopped organic, fire roasted, red peppers (jarred in water) or roast fresh ones if u want.

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp salt (I use coarse Kosher salt, you can also use sea salt)

1 tablespoon Cholula hot sauce (more if you want it spicier)

½ cup garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour

½ cup bread crumbs (freshly made if possible)

¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro (if you have it)

2 Ener-G egg replacer eggs (3 tsp egg replacer powder and 4 tablespoons of water)

In a small bowl, whisk the egg replacer powder and water until it is creamy and frothy. Set aside.

Drain and rinse beans in a colander.  Place in a large bowl (where all your ingredients will fit) and mash with a fork.  Add the rest of the ingredients and the egg replacer mixture. Mix it up with a big spoon or just with your hands. That’s it.

You can let it rest at this point in the refrigerator if you want to (or need to) for an hour or so or even up to overnight.  Some folks say resting in the fridge makes it easier to shape veggie burgers.  Or, you can just go ahead and make it into burgers without resting it (which is what I did).  I use a large oxo scoop to grab the burger mixture (way overflowing over the scoop, I just use it to help eyeball the size) so they are all about the same size. Then I roll them into balls in my hands and flatten them on the baking sheet or tray. Done.

You can bake, grill or sauté these burgers when you are ready. 

To Grill:
I use a disposable aluminum baking pan that fits in my grill. I line it with extra foil, and generously oil the foil with olive oil.  Put the raw burgers on your prepared baking tray and place on your grill.  I used a hot fire (I have a charcoal grill, so the fire is hot, but you can use lower heat if you have a gas grill) and grilled about 6 minutes or a little longer on the first side with the lid down.  Be sure to brush them with olive oil before you flip them over inside the pan, and then grill another few minutes until golden on the second side.  That's it!

To Bake: Line a baking sheet with foil (you don’t have to but it makes clean up a lot easier) and brush generously with olive oil.  Put the burgers on and brush the tops with olive oil.  Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.  Flip, bake another 10 minutes.  You want them nice and brown on both sides (or at least that’s how I like them!).

Or, sauté: on medium heat in olive oil until golden on each side, again, about 6 minutes or so per side.

Serve with sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, vegan mayo or vegan sour cream (like Tofutti’s brand, which is excellent) and extra hot sauce, or any burger topping you like!

Enjoy your 4^th of July weekend!!!