Recipe: Homemade Veggie Burgers

Back in my twenties, I lived on a college campus that was home to many vegetarian activists who sought to convert as many people as possible before graduation. One of the men who lived in my residence hall worked as a sous chef for a local restaurant. While not a vegetarian, he did warn me that the meat served in the campus cafeteria was "old enough to vote" and suggested I avoid it as much as possible. Thus began my foray into the world of vegetarian and vegan foods, and my search for the perfect veggie-burger. I am not by any definition a vegetarian. No matter how far you stretch the meaning of that word, the fact remains that I eat meat on a fairly regular basis, bake with honey, wear leather, and have a very close, personal relationship with cheese.

While I enjoy the health benefits of a plant-based diet, I do not eat a plant-exclusive diet. I prefer to eat whole and minimally processed foods made without preservatives. Due to my Hashimoto's thyroid I cannot eat soy protein, which rules out a lot of manufactured vegetarian foods - including most veggie burgers, which is why I finally decided to create a recipe of my own. Below is my personal recipe for a veggie burger that tastes good and is quite versatile, allowing for substitutions to fit most diets; an asterisk will denote that a substitute ingredient is listed at the end of the recipe. Enjoy!

ButterflyTatus' Oat-Flour & Black-Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

16 ounces cooked and cooled black beans (if using canned, drain and rinse)*

1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen*

2/3 cup plain dried bread crumbs*

1 cup oat flour*

1/3 cup mayonnaise*

1/4 cup salsa, spiced to your taste*

2 Tbsp. lemon juice (or, if you prefer, lime juice)

1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, fresh or dried (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking oil or spray for frying


To Prepare:

Put all ingredients in a food processor (I use the 12-cup bowl) and use the S-blade to puree.

If you do not have a food processor, I am in awe of you. How do you manage? Grab a large bowl, add black beans, corn, salsa, seasonings, mayonnaise, and lemon juice to it and mash, gradually adding bread crumbs and oat flour and stirring well with each addition. Hand mixing will result in burgers with a chunky consistency.

When mixing is complete you should have a semi-soft but solid, sticky ball of veggie burger dough.

Divide mixture into 4 - 5 1/4" thick burger patties.

Over medium heat, add cooking oil or spray to a large frying pan and place burgers in pan with enough space between them to allow for flipping. Cook each burger for 3 minutes on each side. Flip and cook for an additional 1 minute, if desired. Do not flip burgers before 3 minutes, as this may cause the burgers to crumble.

Serve with your favorite toppings or condiments, with or without a bun.

If freezing the burgers: cook them first, let cool, and store for up to two months in a freezer-safe bag. Defrost in the refrigerator so they do not get mushy.

Substitutions:

To make these veggie burgers vegan, use a vegan mayonnaise-type dressing. Make your own by combining 2 parts canola oil and 1 part soy milk, with salt and lemon juice to taste, plus any desired spices (cayenne, paprika, dry mustard, dill, etc.) . Whip with an immersion blender or mixer until well-blended. (This recipe would require 2 tablespoons canola oil and 1 tablespoon soy milk; I suggest making a full 1.5 cup batch and storing the rest for later use).

To make these veggie burgers gluten free, skip the breadcrumbs and substitute 1/3 cup of oat flour and 1/3 cup of cornstarch.

If you have issues with corn, you can substitute peas, fresh or frozen.

If you do not have oat flour, you can use 1 cup of steel cut oatmeal (traditional, not quick cooking oats). A food processor will turn the oats into oat flour; hand-mixing will add to the chunky consistency of the burgers. I do not recommend white flour, as it offers far less flavor, changes the texture of the burger, and tends to burn quickly.

If even mild salsa is too spicy for your digestion, you can add 1/4 cup vegetable juice.

Last but not least, I know that not everyone likes beans (hi, Mom!). White or portabello mushrooms can be substituted into the recipe at a 3:2 pre-cooked ratio (for this recipe, use 24-ounces of pre-cooked weight mushrooms). Cook before using, to reduce water content and bring the use ratio to 1:1 with beans. If mixing by hand, finely chop the mushrooms before adding to the bowl and mashing. This will provide for a more even consistency.