Showing posts with label vegan burgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegan burgers. Show all posts
Monday, June 24, 2013
SIMPLE BUT UMAMI-LACED BEAN BURGERS
If you read my last post, and the one before, you'll know that I developed a wholewheat no-knead dough that can be kept refrigerated for weeks and with which you can make all sorts of flatbreads, pizza dough, and some fabulous hamburger buns that are not heavy -- in fact, as I wrote before, I don't like heavy buns and these were just light and tasty enough (with a slightly crispy bottom) to compliment the burger rather than dominate it."
While I was finishing the trials on that recipe, I decided to make a new homemade vegan burger-- one made from inexpensive, simple, healthful ingredients, and suitable for soy-free and gluten-free diets, too. That meant, no gluten powder, TVP/TSP, xanthan or guar gum, etc. (though I have nothing against any of those ingredients!).
Well, who knew that it would take me 5 tries! But it did-- I've been obsessed with these burgers for over a week! (Good thing my husband likes burgers any ol' time.) I got the basic ingredients pretty much nailed right at the beginning, but there was some fooling around with amounts and trying, then discarding, extra grains as an addition. I wanted the burgers to not be too "squishy", as I find many bean burgers, and I wanted more flavor than most I've tasted.
I concentrated on umami-carrying ingredients for the seasoning (umami is also called the "fifth flavor" and foods that contain umami compounds are powerful flavor enhancers-- read about it here and here) and finally found the combination that carried enough flavor for my taste. Adding small amounts of mushrooms, onions, soy sauce (or my Soy-Free Sauce), miso, nutritional yeast, tomato ketchup, wine and dark sesame oil contributes umami and synergizing umami for full flavor.
Play around with the herbs and spices, if you like!
The buns are made with my No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Flatbread, Pizza and Bun Dough
NOTE ON OATMEAL FOR GLUTEN-FREE COOKING:
It is my understanding from gluten-free friends that GF oats/oatmeal
are widely available now. One popular brand is Bob's Red Mill, which states:
“At last, oats that people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can enjoy, too! Available in three varieties--Rolled, Quick-Rolled and Steel Cut--and made from oats grown by our cooperative of over 200 farmers dedicated to growing only pure, high-grade oats. Each farm delivery is sampled hundreds of times and tested with an R5 ELISA gluten test to ensure the absence of gluten. Advanced color-sorting removes undetected impurities."
You can also order them online at http://www.glutenfreeoats.com/ and amazon.com carries several brands. Check your local health food store, too.
IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE ABOVE: A small segment of celiacs react to even pure, GF-certified oats. See my comments in the comment section of this post for more on that.
“At last, oats that people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can enjoy, too! Available in three varieties--Rolled, Quick-Rolled and Steel Cut--and made from oats grown by our cooperative of over 200 farmers dedicated to growing only pure, high-grade oats. Each farm delivery is sampled hundreds of times and tested with an R5 ELISA gluten test to ensure the absence of gluten. Advanced color-sorting removes undetected impurities."
You can also order them online at http://www.glutenfreeoats.com/ and amazon.com carries several brands. Check your local health food store, too.
IMPORTANT NOTE ON THE ABOVE: A small segment of celiacs react to even pure, GF-certified oats. See my comments in the comment section of this post for more on that.
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S SIMPLE
UMAMI-LACED VEGAN BEAN BURGERS
Can be GF and/or
Soy-Free
Yield: 8 Burgers
These are best made a day ahead of serving time, and can be
frozen in a freezer container with pieces of cooking parchment between them.
Note: If you don’t have pinto beans, you can use Romano
beans or small red beans (not kidney beans).
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 oz mushrooms (cremini or button), chopped fine (1 cup
chopped)
2 cups cooked or canned pinto beans, rinsed, drained and
coarsely mashed
1 1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats (old-fashioned oatmeal) (can be GF, see note above)
1 1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats (old-fashioned oatmeal) (can be GF, see note above)
8 oz grated raw potato, liquid squeezed out and discarded
3 tablespoons dry red wine (can be non-alcoholic)
3 tablespoons soy sauce OR Soy-Free Sauce (See recipe below)
(Note: DON’T use Bragg’s,
please! It’s just as high in sodium as plain old soy sauce, but is not
fermented, so it doesn't have the same umami qualities—read this article)
3 tablespoons ketchup (organic is available)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
3/8 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp EACH dried basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and ground
cumin
freshly
ground black pepper to taste
In a medium non-stick skillet (or cast iron or hard anodized)
heat the sesame oil. Add the onions and
mushrooms and sauté over medium heat until the onions have softened. Remove from heat. (Alternative: You can cook
the mushrooms and onions in the sesame oil in a covered microwave-proof
casserole for 4 minutes instead.)
Mix the softened onions and mushrooms in a large bowl with
the mashed beans, oats, and squeezed grated potatoes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the wine, soy sauce,
ketchup, nutritional yeast, miso, paprika, salt, garlic granules, herbs and
spices, and pepper. Add to the mixture
in the large bowl and stir together thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Divide the “batter” into 8 approximately 1/2-cup portions on
2 small parchment-lined baking sheets and pat down to patty shapes, not
touching.
Cover loosely with foil, not
touching the tops of the patties, but sealed around the edges of the pans. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool thoroughly, then refrigerate until cold
all the way through and firm.
Before serving, brown in a non-stick skillet (or cast iron or hard anodized), lightly oiled (dark sesame oil is good). Cover and cook over medium-high heat for a
few minutes, until the bottom is browned, flip over and brown the other
side. Serve as is with ketchup, gravy or
other sauces, or on a bun with all the trimmings.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per burger):
175.3 calories; 12% calories from fat; 2.6g total fat; 0.0mg
cholesterol; 461.7mg sodium; 516.5mg potassium; 29.8g carbohydrates; 7.1g
fiber; 3.1g sugar; 22.6g net carbs; 9.1g protein; 2.9 points.
BRYANNA’S SOY-FREE
SAUCE (GF, SF ALTERNATIVE TO SOY SAUCE OR TAMARI)
Makes 1 3/4 cups
IMPORTANT: To replace
some of the complex qualities that a good fermented soy sauce or tamari
supplies, try adding wine, broth, and/or mushroom broth or concentrate to
yourdish, in addition to using the soy sauce substitute that follows.
1 cup water, vegetarian broth, or mushroom soaking water
2 tablespoons Marmite or other yeast extract
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup hot water, vegetarian broth, or mushroom soaking
liquid
2 tablespoons soy-free gravy browner(such as Kitchen Bouquet)
Dissolve the Marmite and salt in the first 1 cup of hot
liquid. Mix in the remaining ingredients and store the mixture in a covered jar
in the refrigerator. It will keep for several weeks.
Enjoy!
 |
Monday, May 9, 2011
OKARA MADNESS!
Vegan burgers made with okaraI haven't had much time for experimental or fun cooking lately-- too busy editing my book-- or for much blogging either, for that matter. The last couple of days I've had fun doing some experimenting.
I've been trying to use the okara (soy pulp) from making homemade soymilk more frequently (I make 2 batches in my soy milk maker
every 4-5 days). After all, it contains high-quality fiber (both soluble and non-soluble), as well as protein, calcium and other nutrients (nutrition facts for okara).I do make my own parmesan substitute, and I recently devised a yummy, crispy vegan okara waffle recipe. I also developed a delicious vegan okara brownie recipe, but I can't eat those too often! I make my Okara Miso Pate sometimes, to eat as a snack with rye crisp crackers. But, I've been wanting to use it more often in recipes than just composting
it, so I've been experimenting a little.
Okara "Parmesan"
Okara Waffles
Okara Brownies
Okara-Miso PateThis last weekend I used okara in a couple of useful and a delicious recipes and I have a few more I want to try, but I'll just post the two that I'm happy with-- a vegan burger and a vegan "ricotta". I hope that all you home soymilk and tofu-making folks will try them out.
I altered my TVP
/TSP vegan burger recipe, which had tofu in it as well, to use okara instead of the tofu. It worked perfectly-- and that saves a bit of money, too. This recipe makes 8 medium-large burgers. Steaming cooks the gluten and keeps the burgers moist, but also firms them up nicely when cooled, so they can be browned, grilled or added to recipes later. You can multiply this recipe and freeze it. Crumble the cooked mixture into casseroles, etc.. (It's better to use commercial vegetarian "hamburger crumbles" in sauces.) Or use the patties/burgers instead of cutlets, Salisbury steaks, minute steaks, etc.. I won't post the actual recipe here, but here is the printable burger recipe and some photos
(PS: check out homemade burger bun recipes here):
Before steaming
Before steaming
Ready to steam in a Chinese bamboo steamer
Steaming in a Chinese bamboo steamer
Steamed burgers
Browning a burgerFinished burger:
And here's the second recipe, the Okara-Cashew "Ricotta"--
Printable Recipe
See http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2018/01/how-to-replace-expensive-sometimes.html
for alternatives to nuts.
BRYANNA’S OKARA-CASHEW RICOTTA
Makes about 2 2/3 cups
This is an excellent vegan ricotta for all purposes!
2 cups unsqueezed okara
3/4 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cover the cashews with boiling water and let sit for about 15 minutes. Drain them well. Process them in a dry food processor
until almost a paste. Loosen with a spatula
. Add remaining ingredients and process at high speed until as smooth as possible (will never get completely smooth)—this may take 5 minutes or more. Stop and scrape the sides every few minutes. Pack into a container, cover and refrigerate.
until almost a paste. Loosen with a spatula. Add remaining ingredients and process at high speed until as smooth as possible (will never get completely smooth)—this may take 5 minutes or more. Stop and scrape the sides every few minutes. Pack into a container, cover and refrigerate.
Alternatively, process everything together in a high-powered blender such as a Vita-Mix
or Blend-Tec
until almost smooth.
or Blend-Tec until almost smooth.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving—1/3 cup): 98.4 calories; 55% calories from fat; 6.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 121.8mg sodium; 154.8mg potassium; 8.2g carbohydrates; 0.4g fiber; 1.4g sugar; 7.8g net carbs; 3.3g protein; 2.4 points.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
VEGAN BLT SALAD, ITALIAN "SAUSAGE" BURGERS WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS FOR CANADA DAY/JULY 4TH!
 |
| Italian "Sausage" Burger! |
Here's my beautiful granddaughter in her very unique grad dress and moccasins. She is a proud Métis and student representative for the Métis people in our valley to the The Vancouver Island Métis Nation (VIMN). Her lovely dress designed and made for her by Lisa Shepherd, a fabulous Métis designer/artisan/fabric artist/bead worker/dancer who designed for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and it features traditional Métis bead work and ribbon work. My GD was awarded several bursaries and starts college in the fall, working toward a Bachelor of Social Work, just like her aunt Sarah, who graduated from the University of Victoria 2 weeks ago. She plans to work in Northern BC or the Yukon in future.
Hope you enjoy the holidays and eat well! Here are a couple of super summer recipes that might tempt you.
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S BLT SALAD (VEGAN, OF COURSE!)
Serves 4
6 cups torn cleaned and crisped Romaine lettuce (or just use organic salad greens, like I did in the picture if you can't get to the store!)
6 cups (4 oz.) cubed French or Italian (can be sourdough) bread
4 slices commercial vegan "bacon" or my homemade Tofu "Bacon"
2 tsp. roasted (Asian) sesame oil
2 cups diced ripe, firm tomatoes
2 green onions, sliced
DRESSING:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water or chickpea cooking liquid
1/4 cup Bryanna's Tofu Mayonnaise
(or my Lowfat Mayonnaise or your favorite vegan mayonnaise)
5 tsp sugar
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
lots of freshly-ground black pepper
Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together well and toss with the salad ingredients
Divide the salad evenly between 4 salad bowls and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 257.3 calories; 30% calories from fat; 8.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 839.5mg sodium; 657.3mg potassium; 30.5g carbohydrates; 4.1g fiber; 9.0g sugar; 15.8g protein, Points 6.7
*****************************************************************
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S ITALIAN "SAUSAGE" BURGERS WITH ONIONS, MUSHROOMS AND TOFU ROASTED GARLIC AIOLI
Servings: 8
A mildly spicy treat with lots of trimmings! The burger is a simpler version (with less salt) of my Italian sausage recipe from "Nonna's Italian Kitchen", made into thick burgers.
MAKE THE BURGERS:
2 cups dry textured soy protein granules (TVP)
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs Chinese dark
or mushroom soy sauce
2 Tbs yeast extract (Marmite
; Vegemite, etc.) (this gives a "beefy" flavor) 2 Tbs tomato paste
8 oz medium-firm tofu, mashed
2 tsp roasted (Asian) sesame oil
Seasoning Mixture:
2 Tbs minced fresh garlic
2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
Additional:
1 cup pure gluten powder (Vital wheat gluten
) 8 crusty Italian-style rolls or Kaiser buns
TRIMMINGS:
Bryanna's Tofu Roasted Garlic Aioli:
1/2 a recipe Bryanna's Tofu Mayonnaise OR my Low-Fat Mayonnaise other vegan mayonnaise of your choice
1 head of roasted garlic (see directions at end of recipe), squeezed out of the skins (or 10 cloves of roasted garlic from a from a jar)
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Other:
thick slices of onion (whatever kind you prefer), grilled alongside the burgers, or sautéed in a pan with a little olive oil
sautéed sliced crimini or Portobello mushrooms
crispy lettuce or mixed baby salad greens
Italian Vinaigrette Dressing (low-fat):
3 Tbs chickpea cooking broth or other veggie broth
1 Tbs Asian (roasted) sesame oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
OPTIONAL:
Italian pickled eggplant, or grilled eggplant in olive oil, or eggplant relish
Roasted red pepper
Sliced ripe tomato
Sliced marinated artichoke hearts
8 slices vegan mozza cheese (or equivalent shredded)
MAKING THE BURGERS:
In a medium bowl, pour the boiling water mixed with the vinegar, soy sauce, Marmite, and tomato paste over the soy protein granules. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Add the mashed tofu, sesame oil and Seasoning Mixture of your choice.
Cool this mixture thoroughly (you can speed this up by spreading mixture on a plate and freezing for a few minutes) before adding the gluten powder-- this keeps the gluten from clumping into strings.
Mix well with hands. Shape into 8 patties, to fit buns. Steam the burgers over simmering water for 20 minutes. (Make sure to spray the steamer rack with oil first.)
Place the burgers on cookie sheets and chill thoroughly before stacking with wax paper in between and refrigerating or freezing in a rigid plastic container with a tight cover.
Steaming cooks the gluten and keeps the burgers moist, but also firms them up nicely when cooled, so they can be browned, grilled or added to recipes later.
MAKING THE TOFU ROASTED GARLIC AIOLI:
Blend the Tofu Mayonnaise, roasted garlic and olive oil well with a small food processor or hand immersion blender until smooth. Refrigerate.
TO SERVE THE BURGERS:
To brown, use a non-stick pan with a bit of olive oil. To grill, brush both sides with a little olive oil or toasted (Asian) sesame oil first. These work well on an electric indoor grill (you can grill onion slices and mushrooms alongside).
Lightly toast both sides of the buns while you brown the sausage burgers. Serve with the onions, mushrooms, Tofu Roasted Garlic Aioli, baby greens mixed with a little bit of vinaigrette just to moisten, and any of the other options you want.
ROASTED GARLIC
These will keep a week in the refrigerator in a tightly-covered container.
Heat the oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees F. Cut large garlic heads in half horizontally. Place them on foil in a baking pan and drizzle them with about 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil per half. Pull the foil up and crinkle it shut. Bake for about one hour, or until the garlic is soft.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 435.4 calories; 16% calories from fat; 8.0g total fat; 0.4mg cholesterol; 1054.5mg sodium; 1437.7mg potassium; 52.7g carbohydrates; 9.8g fiber; 3.0g sugar; 43.0g protein, Points 10.2
Happy Holiday!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
COMFORT FOODS TO THE RESCUE!
Mocha Soy Cappuccino made with my homemade soymilk
It has been a busy and stressful few weeks. Lots to work on; some family business going on; on grandchildren-sitting duty a fair amount; and a pesky on-going headache (seeing the chiro tomorrow), etc., etc. Consequently, I have not been blogging that often, for which I am very sorry! We have been eating pretty basic stuff most of the time. I have craved "comfort foods"!
I'm not a heavy coffee drinker, but my husband makes wonderful organic, fair trade, espresso, ground fresh just before steaming it. One treat I have allowed myself every few days lately is a homemade Mocha Soy Cappuccino. I use my homemade soy milk-- about 2/3 of a cup-- whisked with 1 teaspoon of organic, fair trade unsweetened cocoa and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, heated and frothed in my inexpensive plunger milk frother
, and a shot of DH's good espresso. To me, it's like dessert!
*********************************************************************************
A comfort food main dish from my childhood that I recently recreated was a vegan version of "Swiss Steak". It's kind of an old-fashioned dish, like pot roast. I enjoyed my mother's meat version in the 1950's and 60's (dating myself here!). I think it's actually making a comeback due to the popularity of the modern slow-cooker. There's actually nothing Swiss about it, though! It's a slow-braised meat dish (called "smothered" in some areas, as in "smothered in tasty gravy while it braises") that translates well to a vegan dish. (Slowly-cooked meat dishes are more successfully veganized because we don't expect them to taste like rare meat, which is well-nigh impossible to reproduce with a vegan meat substitute.)
Wikipedia says: "The name does not refer to Switzerland, but instead to the process of "swissing", which refers to fabric or other materials being pounded or run through rollers in order to soften it. Swiss steak is typically made from relatively tough cuts of meat, such as the round, which have been pounded with a tenderizing hammer, or run through a set of bladed rollers to produce so-called 'cube steak'. The meat is typically coated with flour and other seasonings and served with a thick gravy."
I have made a similar dish with my seitan "steaks" before, but it occurred to me that a firm vegan burger would make a fine stand-in for a "Swissed" piece of meat, or a "cube steak". AND, it would not have to cook as long because it is already fully cooked and tender. Sweet!
The sauce is a kind of bastardized vegan version of the classic Espagnole sauce, which is a reduction sauce starting with a brown roux, veal stock (yuck!)enriched with browned bones, beef cubes, vegetables, etc., and then further enriched with tomato puree. My version (for this dish) uses a combination of leftover vegan brown gravy and leftover good, homemade vegan spaghetti sauce (the kind with no meat sub in it). Couldn't be easier if you have those things around (I set aside some of each of these from other meals earlier in the week when I plan to make this dish-- the spaghetti sauce can be frozen, and the gravy will keep a week in the refrigerator.) This may sound weird, but, trust me, it's good!
My mother always made her Swiss Steak with lots of vegetables added, so I did, too. Oh, and I haven't tried this, but I'll bet this would do just fine in a slow-cooker for a few hours!
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S VEGAN "SWISS STEAK" WITH VEGETABLES
Servings: 4
6 vegan burgers (the "meat-like" kind)-- use 8 if they are very thin
A comfort food main dish from my childhood that I recently recreated was a vegan version of "Swiss Steak". It's kind of an old-fashioned dish, like pot roast. I enjoyed my mother's meat version in the 1950's and 60's (dating myself here!). I think it's actually making a comeback due to the popularity of the modern slow-cooker. There's actually nothing Swiss about it, though! It's a slow-braised meat dish (called "smothered" in some areas, as in "smothered in tasty gravy while it braises") that translates well to a vegan dish. (Slowly-cooked meat dishes are more successfully veganized because we don't expect them to taste like rare meat, which is well-nigh impossible to reproduce with a vegan meat substitute.)
Wikipedia says: "The name does not refer to Switzerland, but instead to the process of "swissing", which refers to fabric or other materials being pounded or run through rollers in order to soften it. Swiss steak is typically made from relatively tough cuts of meat, such as the round, which have been pounded with a tenderizing hammer, or run through a set of bladed rollers to produce so-called 'cube steak'. The meat is typically coated with flour and other seasonings and served with a thick gravy."
I have made a similar dish with my seitan "steaks" before, but it occurred to me that a firm vegan burger would make a fine stand-in for a "Swissed" piece of meat, or a "cube steak". AND, it would not have to cook as long because it is already fully cooked and tender. Sweet!
The sauce is a kind of bastardized vegan version of the classic Espagnole sauce, which is a reduction sauce starting with a brown roux, veal stock (yuck!)enriched with browned bones, beef cubes, vegetables, etc., and then further enriched with tomato puree. My version (for this dish) uses a combination of leftover vegan brown gravy and leftover good, homemade vegan spaghetti sauce (the kind with no meat sub in it). Couldn't be easier if you have those things around (I set aside some of each of these from other meals earlier in the week when I plan to make this dish-- the spaghetti sauce can be frozen, and the gravy will keep a week in the refrigerator.) This may sound weird, but, trust me, it's good!
My mother always made her Swiss Steak with lots of vegetables added, so I did, too. Oh, and I haven't tried this, but I'll bet this would do just fine in a slow-cooker for a few hours!
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S VEGAN "SWISS STEAK" WITH VEGETABLES
Servings: 4
6 vegan burgers (the "meat-like" kind)-- use 8 if they are very thin
1 Tbs olive oil
VEGETABLES:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin slices
1 large onion, sliced thinly
4 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into thin "fingers"
2 cloves garlic, chopped
SAUCE:
1 1/4 cups your favorite vegan Brown Gravy
1 1/4 cups good homemade tomato spaghetti sauce
(If you gave a very good commercial brand that you like, you can use that instead)
1/2 cup dry red wine (can be de-alcoholized)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Heat the 1st tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the burgers. Cut the burgers into 3 large slices each to make it easier to divide up the servings (you don't have to do this is you use 8 thin burgers.) Brown the burgers lightly on both sides and remove from the pan.
Add the 2nd tablespoon of oil to the same pan and add the vegetables. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Saute them over medium-high heat until they wilt.
Alternatively, wilt the vegetables in the oil in a Pyrex casserole in the microwave for about 5 minutes.
Add the burgers back to the pan, covering them with the wilted vegetables.
Mix the sauce ingredients together with a whisk and pour over the burgers and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes.
Serve hot with mashed potatoes, steamed new potatoes, cooked flat noodles, or whole grain homemade spaetzle (drop noodles).
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 356.6 calories; 28% calories from fat; 10.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 1266.8mg sodium; 900.6mg potassium; 30.6g carbohydrates; 12.0g fiber; 14.7g sugar; 18.6g net carbs; 28.2g protein; 7.2 points.
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)