There’s nothing easier than pulling dinner out of the freezer, popping it in the oven, and having freshness come out. For this reason, I am all over the easy-peezy patty shaped food. I love the vegetable veggie burgers, the falafel and even this Indian spiced patty-liciousness.
Often veggie burgers are rammed to the high heavens with faux foods. My thinking was that if you can disguise any old food inside a well-seasoned patty, why not hide some amazing foods instead of soy waste. My other motivators were to reduce the grain load, try something other than chickpea and squeeze in some cabbage because I had it in my fridge. Oh, and I wanted to use shiitake mushrooms because:
1) They are delicious.
2) I am currently Obsessed (with a capital ‘O’).
3) I had a big bag full and wasn’t in the mood for mushroom sushi.
The down low on shiitakes:
- Nutrient powerhouses: selenium, iron, protein, fiber, and vitamin C.
- Cholesterol lowering: The cholesterol-reducing compound in shiitake mushrooms, and shiitake mushroom extract is eritadenine.
- Reduce risk of blood clotting: The Department of Agricultural and Biological Chemistry at Nihon University in Japan has demonstrated that the levels of lenthionine found in shiitake mushrooms inhibited platelet aggregation.
- High blood pressure prevention.
- Cancer prevention: Anti-cancer benefits have been exhibited from the lentinan extracted from shiitake mushrooms. Studies in Kobe, Nagoya and Tokyo have shown various effects, from reducing and slowing growth, to regression and even increasing activity to combat the spread of a tumor.
Now, because my recipes are made up on the fly, they usually work as great choose your own adventures, depending on what you have in your fridge and pantry. Go for it and let me know what you come up with.
Choose Your Own Adventure Burger
2 cups, black beans cooked (one can or once cup dried, soaked and cooked)
1 cup shitake mushroom, sliced
1 cup broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, ground
1 egg OR 1 Tbs flax seed, ground + 1/4 water: stir together as egg replacemer
1 Tbs curry powder
1 Tbs basil, dry
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Preheat oven to 350
- In a food processor, process together the beans, mushrooms and broccoli until well mixed, but not completely mashed together. Transfer to large mixing bowl.
- In a food processor, process together cabbage, onion, celery and garlic until well-mixed, transfer to mixing bowl.
- Add curry powder, sea salt, chickpea flour, basil and pumpkin seeds, oil and mix thoroughly.
- Add in egg or egg replacer and again mix. If the mixture is too moist, add a little more flour.
- Form into patties on parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 20 mins, flip patties over and bake for another ten minutes until patty is dry on the outside and holds together.
Options:
- Beans: kidney, adzuki, chickpea, butterbean…
- Leafy vegetable: instead of cabbage try kale, collards, spinach…
- Flour: quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, coconut…
- Seed/nut: instead of pumpkin seeds try ground almonds, walnuts, flax, pecan, sesame or mix…
Image courtesy of miikkahoo.
