The Best Vegan Burgers

Ever wonder how to make a veggie burger?This is a somewhat complicated, but very rewarding recipe for my famous veggie burgers. My father and I perfected these when I was about 10 and we make them every so often. This vegan burger recipe makes about 2 dozen burgers and they freeze well, so these are perfect for several meals! Try them, you’ll love this recipe.

You will need:

• 4 Cups Cooked Soybeans (Instructions below)
• 1 Cup Bulgur (Instructions below)
• 1/2 Block Silken Tofu
• 1 Small Onion (Diced)
• 3 Stalks Celery (Diced small)
• 1/4 Cup Barley (Cooked with the soybeans)
• 1 Cup Rolled Oats
• 1/4 Cup Onion Soup Mix
• 1/4 Cup Nutrition Yeast
• 1/8 Cup Wheat Germ
• 2 Tbs. Ground Flax Seed
• 1/4 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth
• Soy Sauce
• Olive Oil

Instructions:

1. Cooking the soy beans is the hardest and longest part. Starting them dried (with the barley), you must soak them in warm water for 3-4 hours then boil them for 2 hours, then soak for 6 additional hours and then finally boil them again for about 2-3 hours. I know, this seems ridiculous, but the beans have to be cooked well in order to use them as a base for these burgers.
2. When cooked soy beans are achieved, place 4 cups of them in a food possessor with silken tofu, olive oil and salt and pepper. After they are creamed, put in large bowl.
3. Add rolled oats, onion soup mix, nutritional yeast, wheat germ and flax seed. Mix very well. If dough is to solid to mix, add more silken tofu. Set aside. In smaller bowl, begin to soak bulger in vegetable broth and soy sauce. Leave sit for 10 minutes.
4. In a large, high walled frying pan; sauté onions and celery in olive oil and a little salt until onion becomes just translucent. Add bulgur and all the liquid and turn heat up to a boil. Cook until there is no fluid left and bulgur is plumped and not crunchy. This mixture is VERY yummy all by it’s self, by the way. Add to soy bean mix. Stir well.



5. Don’t be afraid to add different spices. I tend to shake things up a bit every time I make these. Sometimes I add a curry powder and make them a little spicy. Sometimes I throw in a little thyme, oregano and parsley for a more Italian mix. It’s really up to you and your imagination. Have fun.
6. When you finally have the perfect taste, add the vital wheat gluten (to help it stick together better) and you’re ready to form the burgers. These keep in the freezer for about 3 weeks. I have eaten them after 6 weeks in the freezer (out of desperation), but I don’t recommend that. Oh and… ENJOY!

Cooking Directions:

frying the veggie burger

When I dove head first into the wondrous world of veganism (on June 13th, 2005 – I’ll never forget it!), I thought I’d never eat anything palatable again. I climbed the volcanic mountain of morality and tossed my taste buds into the bubbling lava, considering this ultimate sacrifice as a necessary right of passage in my journey to becoming Completely Vegan Ashley. After having seen the horrors of the meat, egg and dairy industry, I didn’t care if I died clasping a half–eaten carrot in one hand and an iceberg lettuce leaf in the other – at least I’d die knowing none of what I saw in those videos was my fault. Oh, new little vegan me!

Whenever someone tells me that they have decided to go vegan, the second thing I share after congratulating them on making such a selfless lifestyle decision is that going vegan doesn’t mean giving up all the foods that you loved PV (“pre-vegan”, of course)! If there’s one thing I wish I could tell my wide-eyed self on that first day of my life in the vegan light it would be that I could eat whatever I wanted, not that I was giving up taste all together by adopting a compassionate lifestyle.

tempeh bacon, lettuce & tomato

This week I felt like an apple pie, so I looked up the best recipe online, subbed the non-vegan ingredients for vegan ones (veggie shortening and Earth Balance vegan butter) and the result? Ahhhhhh-mazing! I also had fun veganizing a completely and utterly not vegan recipe I found while perusing blogs about frugal living.

Vegan apple pie

The result, which I’ve named the Marlboro Man’ Vegan Brothers’ Favorite Sandwich (a play on the not vegan version’s title), is a sandwich that would fool any self appointed carni. I can see it now: donning a florescent orange trucker hat, sandwich sauce dripping all over his camo shirt, in true caveman fashion exclaiming, “Me man! Me eat meat!” It should be noted though that said sandwich should come with a disclaimer – vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy! While free of hormones, trans fats, poly saturated fats and cholesterol, my MMVBFS isn’t for those who are afraid to cook with a little, no, a lot of vegan butter! Think “Two Fat Ladies… Go Vegan!”

marlboro man's vegan brother's favorite sandwich

The key to tapping into the limitless vegan menu is tossing out any preconceived misconceptions about vegan “rabbit” food and just following your heart and hunger! Want a Whooper? Find a bangin’ vegan burger recipe and flame broiler away, friend. Don’t forget the Tofutti cheese slice and Veganiase. And for the love of all things holy, do not let the nastiness of a Boca Burger find it’s way to your plate. They taste like cardboard – get you some Life Lite Vegan Ground “beef”, garlic powder and vegan Worchestshire sauce and your in business! Want some Popeye’s Red Beans and butter biscuits? Find a copycat recipe online and switch things up a bit. When I sped past a Popeye’s on my moped one day after class, my nostrils filled with that nasty yet familiar fast food smell, I went home, busted out the beans and a bottle of Liquid Smoke and voila. Vegan Popeye’s. The possibilities are endless!

So next time, when a none-the-wiser omni inquired about your daily menu, just remember that you most likely wondered the same thing and tell them the flat out truth: “I eat whatever you do. I just do it a little different!”