Recipe Talk

Caramelized Onion-Veggie Burger
Perp Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time:
Yield: Makes 8 burgers (serving size: 1 burger)

Ingredients

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, stems removed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 cup canned lentils, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1 large egg, whisked
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
6 whole-grain buns
8 tomato slices (optional)
Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. Pulse first 3 ingredients in food processor until finely chopped.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a skillet; turn down to medium, and cook onion, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add mushroom mixture, and cook, stirring, about 2-3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, and let cool.

3. Stir cooled mushroom mixture into lentils, and combine with next 3 ingredients (through salt) until well-combined. Form mixture into 6 patties (about 1/2 cup each). Put cornmeal on a shallow plate, and coat burgers evenly.

4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and cook burgers about 3 minutes or until golden brown on underside. Flip burgers, and top with cheese. Cook about 3 minutes more or until golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve burgers on buns topped with tomato and basil, if desired.

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Roasted Portobello and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

You’ll never believe how delicious and hearty these vegetarian sandwiches are!

Serves 4

4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems twisted off and “gills” scraped out with a spoon
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp. salt, divided
4 tbsp. soft goat cheese
4 whole-grain hamburger buns, for serving
Dijon mustard, for serving
Lettuce, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil.

2. Rub both sides of each mushroom with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Place gill side up on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, turning mushroom caps over midway through cooking.

3. To prepare sandwiches, toast hamburger buns (or stick in the oven for the last few minutes of roasting). Spread dijon mustard on each bun and top with lettuce. When mushrooms are done roasting, spread each liberally with goat cheese and place in sandwich.

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Veggie Burgers with Mushrooms

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

Veggie Burgers with Mushrooms

Total Time:25 minPrep:15 minCook:10 min

Yield:4 burgersLevel:Easy

Ingredients
1 15 -ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, shredded and squeezed dry (about 1/2 cup)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 cup plain or whole-wheat breadcrumbs
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Worcestershire or soy sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced
4 English muffins, split and toasted
Mayonnaise and/or mustard, for garnish
Baby spinach or arugula, for garnish

Directions

Smash the beans in a bowl with a potato masher or fork until slightly chunky. Add the onion, walnuts, carrot, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, scallions, parsley and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until combined.

Spread the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs on a plate. Form the bean mixture into 4 patties; lightly coat with the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook until golden and slightly crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the burgers to a plate.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and the remaining 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are slightly wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve the burgers on the English muffins with mayonnaise and/or mustard, baby greens and mushrooms.

Photograph by Antonis Achilleos

Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

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Mushroom Burgers (Vegan)

Ingredients:

Makes four 4-inch burgers

1 small potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 portabello mushroom
12 cremini mushrooms
10 shiitake mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup cooked barley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steam or boil the potato until tender. Mash with a fork. Trim off the stem of the portabella mushroom and scoop out the gills. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Thinly slice the crimini and shitake mushrooms. Preheat oven to 375° F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Cook the portabello mushrooms and dried thyme for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to soften and sweat. Add the crimini and shitake. Cook for 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have sweat off their moisture and it has dried up in the pan. Deglaze with the vinegar, scraping off browned bits with a wooden spoon.

Transfer mushrooms to a food processor and coarsely purée. (Alternatively, chop the mushrooms finely by hand.) Combine the mushroom mixture with the potato, barley, salt, pepper, and mushroom mixture in a mixing bowl. Shape into patties.

In a large oven-safe skillet or nonstick sauté pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the patties and cook until browned on each side, 6 to 10 minutes total. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the burgers are firm and cooked through.

Don't forget to "go crazy with the condiments," adds Volger: yogurt sauce, caramelized onions, homemade pesto, or more sauteed mushrooms, as pictured above.

Recipe from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way: Fresh, Flavorful and Healthy Vegan and Vegetarian Burgers—Plus Toppings, Sides, Buns and More, copyright © Lukas Volger, 2010.