Very Veggie Burgers
Since living in North Carolina, I found an amazing pre-made commercial burger. The brand is Rosetta’s Kitchen, also the name of the vegetarian restaurant in Asheville. If you’re in western North Carolina some time you must try them. Wonderfully wholesome and healthy fare. Anyway, needless to say ALL of these packaged burgers come with a pretty hefty price tag. And I had been waiting and waiting… and waiting for my supermarket to restock—they disappear quickly from the shelves. Hmm…
So I ventured to the stove to create this veggie burger (like Rosetta’s, it’s mostly veggies) and they’ve been a hit in our house and with my readers! They have a nice crunch on the outside and a soft but not gooey center. I hope you’ll try this recipe for yourself.
Don’t let the long list of ingredients put you off! They’re not that difficult to prepare and the recipe makes a LOT which you can easily freeze for later use. You will need a food processor for this recipe.
Ingredients
2 large carrots
2 celery ribs (outer tough strings removed)
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 small red bell pepper (or green)
½ pound mushrooms
3 green onion stalks
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
2 cups cooked brown rice
½ cup rolled oats
about 1 cup flour (you can use whatever flour you want (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free flour)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
¼ cup psyllium husk (see notes)
2 TBS ground flax seeds
1 can low sodium chickpeas beans, drained (I prefer Eden brand)
1 TBS onion powder
2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp curry powder
1 TBS low sodium soy sauce or tamari
Method
Chop the carrots and celery and place in a steamer.
While the carrots and celery are steaming, chop the rest of the veggies (they don’t need to be chopped really small since they’re all going into the food processor anyway)
When the carrots are slightly tender add the rest of the veggies.
Steam until veggies are soft but not mushy.
Transfer all veggies to a food processor with 1/2 of the chickpeas and process until combined (I like to leave mine slightly chunky so you can still identify some of the veggies).
Transfer the processed veggie mixture to a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients except the flour, and include the rest of the chickpeas.
Add love! 💗
Add the flour a bit at a time to ensure it is dispersed evenly. You may. need a little more than a cup. You want a consistency that is pretty wet but will hold together when you shape the burgers.
Heat up a good non-stick skillet on medium heat. I prefer SCANPAN. Yes, it’s expensive but is of such high quality and durability that it will literally last a lifetime.
Using a #14 ¼ cup ice cream scoop, drop the burger batter onto the pan, using 2 scoops per burger. Then use a spatula to shape the burgers into their forms. For a step-by-step visual *** (SEE THE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO BELOW)***
Cook until golden brown on both sides and let cool on a cooling rack. The burgers will firm up when they cool a bit.
Makes 18-20 burgers. Enjoy!
Notes
Psyllium husk isn’t essential but it REALLY helps hold things together and is a fantastic egg replacement. I use it in many of my baked goods recipes too. If you choose not to use it, add 2 TBS more flour, but I can’t promise the exact result.