3-Grain Veggie Burgers

Back in the recesses of my mind is a memory of a Broccoli Burger served by Whole World Natural Bakery & Restaurant that I can still taste. I haven’t been there since the early 90’s when I was a much darker haired, newly turned vegan, college student. However, unlike my brown hair, the taste has stayed with me all these years. Since I’m not going to be in Columbus, OH anytime soon, I decided to tap into my creative side and see if I could concoct a recipe of my own. And you know what? I think I nailed it! This 3-Grain Veggie Burger has a light, fresh taste yet very filling…just like I remember. So let’s give this a whirl and let me know how they turn out for you.

The Grains: Basmati Rice, Quinoa and Hard Red Wheat Berries

Start of by cooking each of the grains separately and according to your packaging directions. I have included a link for the general cooking time for each grain in the parenthesis after the quantities. However, I often find the packaging may call for a different ratio to cooking time.
This recipe calls for:
1 1/2 cup Basmati Rice (see eHow)
1 cup Quinoa (see savvy vegetarian)
1 cup Hard Red Wheat Berries (see Purcell Mountain Farms) – Yes, it takes a long time for these, so start early.

After you have cooked each grain, dump into large mixing bowl and let cool.

The veggie potpourri:
2 Carrots
1/2 Red Onion
1 cubanelle pepper
1/2 bulb of Garlic
3 stems of Broccoli (not pictured)

Rough chop all the veggies and add to a food processor. If you do not own a food processor, then finely dice all your veggies.

Process the veggies on high for a few seconds until you are left with small diced pieces.

Warm a cast iron skillet with 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil on medium heat.

Add the veggies to the skillet w/ 1 Teaspoon of Kosher Salt and saute for 7 minutes or until tender.

After sauteing, dump the veggies into the bowl with your grains and get ready for your spices.

The spices:
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Mexican Oregano
1/2 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic
1 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Coriander
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1 1/2 Tablespoon Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
1 Cup bread crumbs

I don’t have a pic of the dry ingredients but I did snap one of the Vegan Worcestershire Sauce in case any of you didn’t believe there was such a thing. See…no Anchovies!
Add all the spices to the mixing bowl and let those hands get to workin’. Mix all the ingredients well. Give your mix a taste and add salt if you deem necessary.

To form your patties, you can free hand it or, like me, use a canister lid wrapped in saran wrap to make nice even patties. I used a 4 inch diameter lid that is approximately 3/4 of an inch deep. This yielded me 11 veggie burgers.

You have a couple of options here. You can directly cook the burgers in a skillet on medium high heat until brown on both sides. I did a two step process. First, I placed the patties on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

Lightly brush the top of each patty with some veggie oil. Bake the patties for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Your patties will be “pre-cooked” so you can freeze some for a later date.

For the ones you are going to eat now, cook in a lightly oiled skillet until browned on both sides. For the ones you stick in the freezer, let them thaw before you brown them.

Assemble your 3-Grain Veggie Burgers and eat up. I think they go perfect on a Kaiser bun that is lightly toasted. Nothing like that thin crispy crust and warm soft delicate interior as the perfect chamber for your burger. Slather some Vegenaise and ketchup on the bun, add the burger trinity of lettuce, tomatoes and onions and you are good to go.

Man, I’m getting hungry all over again!

Yea, they enjoyed it too. Knocked out…nothing like the power of a full stomach.