Ahead of the Fourth of July cookout, I tried out a recipe I found online for a home-made veggie burger. The recipe came from Whole Foods, which we don’t have the privilege of having in my area, but I’ve heard good things about.
My first home-made veggie burger. It was a big ‘meh.’ Copyright Miyo Wratten 2013
Summer and burgers kind of go hand-in-hand, and as much as I’m not a fan of the ‘meatless meat’ dishes, I have to say that there is something so classic about burgers and this time of year in North America. It’s such an ingrained part of our culture, I’m having a hard time getting away from the idea of needing some kind of burger at some point. Also, I like to avoid the mass-produced, frozen patties that are stuffed full of highly processed soy protein, calories, and are mass-produced. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a couple of them hanging out in the freezer for one of those days when I just don’t have time to stand around and cook. They do, however, tend to sit there for quite some time because quite frankly, they scare me.
The flax seed used in the recipe. I ground mine in a coffee bean grinder as I couldn’t find any that was already ground.
When I saw the recipe for Red Pepper and Basil White Bean Burgers, which you can get right from the Whole Foods site, it sounded pretty decent. A jar of drained, roasted red peppers is mixed with ground flax seeds, rolled oats, garlic, fresh basil and a can of drained cannellini beans.
Just a note: If you’re like me and find it a little challenging sometimes to find what passes for ‘exotic ingredients,’ you may have a little trouble finding ground flax seed (which is what is called for in the recipe). I simply cleaned out our coffee bean grinder and used that to grind up some whole flax seeds. Easy enough to do.
Perhaps I didn’t cook it quite right, but I’ll be honest and say I was a little disappointed. The flavor was OK, but the texture definitely left something to be desired. To me, it had a bit of a ‘slimy’ or wet feel to it in the mouth, which was off-putting.
If you try it out and find that it turns out great for you, do let me know. It’s entirely possible I’ve done something wrong or handled a step incorrectly.
Otherwise, I’ll probably move on at some point to a different veggie burger recipe and hope for the best.
The Reluctant Vegetarian 