Better Veggie Burgers

I’ve been experimenting with new recipes and as a result we have been enjoying some amazing meals! These veggie burgers should easily fit into a number of food plans, they are full of flavor and so filling. This recipe makes 16 burgers so you can freeze some ahead. They heat up easily in the microwave too.

One veggie burger stuffed into half of a whole wheat pita bread with some fresh greens, sliced red onion and some mustard makes for a perfect lunch with a big salad! Hubby Tom likes to double up and have two of these with a big salad on the side. They are also good smeared with some hummus and topped with tomatoes slices or avocado. You get the idea – choose your favorite toppings and build a healthy burger!

This is the easiest way I have found to make evenly sized burgers of any kind. Once everything has been mixed together I cut a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it out on my counter. Then I evenly pat out the burger mixture in either a square or a round and cut it into servings. Then I pat them into burger shapes. If you have the time to chill the burgers prior to cooking them it seems to really help them hold together. Just thirty minutes in the refrigerator can make a big difference. If you pop them in the frig while you clean up the kitchen by the time your clean up is complete you can start cooking them.

To avoid messy clean up line your baking sheet with foil and lightly spray it with a little olive oil. These veggie burgers are a bit delicate and soft so be careful when handling them or they will fall apart. Once the veggie burgers have completely cooled wrap each one individually with plastic wrap and place into a freezer bag or freezer container. Be sure to label them – I use to think I will remember what everything in those mystery freezer bags is – but the truth is – I don’t! Now I date them, label what the item is and what the serving size should be. If you count Weight Watcher points include those on the label as well.

 Better Veggie Burgers

• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not quick or instant)
• 1 cup ground walnuts
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup no salt added or low sodium tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Mrs Dash Tomato Basil Garlic Salt Free seasoning blend or to taste
• 1 cup diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups finely minced mushrooms (the food processor works great for this)
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely minced
• 2/3 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a small saucepan whisk together water  tomato paste and Mrs Dash seasoning. Heat over medium high heat until boiling, shut off heat and add rolled oats and ground walnuts, set aside.

Water-saute the onion and garlic in a pan -(add a tablespoon or two of water to saute instead of oil – it works well) until onion is translucent. Then add mushrooms and additional water if needed – the mushrooms will release water as they cook. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

In a large bowl, combine sauteed onions and mushrooms, oat/walnut mixture, spinach and spices. Stir well to combine. Lay a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper out on the counter top, shape the burger mixture evenly into a square and cut into 16 even squares. Dampen hands with a little water to prevent sticking – (it’s still going to stick a bit) shape mixture into well formed burger patties. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes if you have the time – it will help the burgers stay together.

Line baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with olive oil. Bake burgers in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, remove from oven carefully turn each burger over and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve on a whole grain bun, pita bread half or over a bed of salad greens. Top with your favorite burger toppings, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and onion.

Non-vegan option: add 8 ounces of ground turkey breast meat to the mixture and proceed with recipe instructions.

Notes: This is a great basic recipe that could be adapted to many different flavors, think Southwest with cilantro, cumin & chili powder, or Asian with ginger, red pepper flakes and chopped green onions.

Yield: 16 veggie burgers

Serving Size: 1 veggie burger

*Estimated Nutritional Information (veggie burger only)

Per Serving; 98 Calories, 5.2g Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 11.1g Sodium, 147 mg Potassium, 9.5g Carbohydrates, 2g Fiber, 3.4g Protein,WWPP 3

*The nutritional information and WW PP values posted on Nutmeg Notebook are my best estimates based on the brands of products I use and the software programs used to calculate them. If you rely heavily on the nutritional information and WWPP values I encourage you to double check the values given, using the brands of products you use. If you find big differences feel free to email me or leave me a comment letting me know.

Recipe adapted from Dr Fuhrman’s Super Immunity and Eat For Health books.