Veggie Burger

When it comes to cooking in the Hynes house, Carnivore Bob and I have a long-standing division of labor: I manage 20 meals per week, and he grills burgers on Sundays. If that seems inequitable, I assure you, his careful curation of seasonings, artisanal patty shaping and heat management skills reflect a degree of perfectionism that shames my Taco Tuesdays.

What does feel unfair, though, is when I stack my flat, gray, defrosted veggie burgers against his homage to the hamburger. Even my plant-leaning daughter rolls her eyes at my cardboard Frisbees. To her, beef burgers taste like home and veggie burgers taste like homework.

Wanting to make a veggie burger whose taste and texture could compete with meat, I canvassed our local vegetable-loving restaurants for inspiration. I found a bounty of flavors, like the curry, cumin and garlic spice blend in Seedz Cafe’s Sprouted Chickpea Veggie Burger and the tangy tahini-chipotle slaw on the Frida Burger at Frida’s. But when I tasted the magic of chipotle sauce on the Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger at Lulu’s Local Eatery on South Grand Boulevard, I sat up, took notice and ordered a second for, um, a friend.

The one-two punch of smoky and sweet was a winner, but the sweet potato in my own test burgers was mushy, not meaty. Adding brown rice, an ingredient in the Seedz and Lulu’s burgers, helped some. The real texture turning point came mid-chew at SweetArt in South City. Owner Reine Bayoc’s thick, chowable SweetBurger is packed with lentils, carrots and textured vegetable protein. TVP is a neutral-tasting, high-protein meat substitute, usually made from soy flour. It’s sold in a dehydrated state that resembles spongy pebbles. Rehydrating TVP and mixing it into a sweet potato-black bean-lentil concoction gave my burger a texture more like ground meat and less like second best.

Now, TVP isn’t for everyone. It’s heavily processed and made in a factory, which is antithetical to a purist’s plant-based diet. And while TVP improves the “tooth feel” of my burger, it doesn’t prevent the patties from falling apart on a hot grill. Instead, I suggest pan-frying your burgers in peanut oil – another tip I learned from my gastro trip to Lulu’s.

The following recipe works with or without TVP because of the bright and unexpected flavor combinations. Feel free to personalize the seasonings: You may prefer ginger’s gentle zing to mouth-clobbering hot peppers. Or skip the smoky paprika and try sage instead. In all instances, you’ll make a vibrant vegetarian dish worthy of the burger name.

---

Sweet and Smoky Vegan Burgers

6 to 8 burgers with TVP,
4 to 6 burgers without TVP

1¼ cup dry textured vegetable protein* (optional)
1 cup boiling water (optional)
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed and patted dry
½ cup cooked lentils
½ cup cooked brown rice
½ cup diced white onion
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. ground chipotle chile pepper
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup mashed baked sweet potato (skin removed)
6 Tbsp. peanut oil, divided
Vegan hamburger buns**
Lettuce leaves, avocado slices and onion slices, for serving

• If using TVP, combine the TVP and the boiling water in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork and let rest 10 minutes, until the water is fully absorbed. Spread the rehydrated TVP onto paper towels and squeeze to remove any excess water. Pat the TVP dry and set aside.
• To the bowl of a food processor, add the black beans, lentils, rice, onion, panko, garlic, paprika, cumin, chipotle chile pepper and salt. Pulse 5 to 7 times, until the mixture is coarse but not puréed. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the sweet potato and rehydrated TVP (if using), and stir until well combined. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
• Use wet hands to shape the mixture into patties. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons peanut oil and heat the oil 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add half the burgers to the pan, refrigerating the remaining patties. Cook the burgers until they are brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes.
• Remove the burgers from the pan and keep warm. Using a paper towel, carefully wipe the used oil out of the pan, add the remaining 3 tablespoons peanut oil and cook the remaining patties. (The second batch may brown faster.) Serve the burgers warm, on buns with the lettuce, sliced avocado and onions.

* Textured vegetable protein is available in the bulk foods aisle at all Dierbergs locations, dierbergs.com.
** Rudi’s Organic Bakery hamburger buns are available in white, wheat and 100-percent whole wheat at Whole Foods Market, 1601 S. Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, 314.968.7744, wholefoodsmarket.com.