My Go -To Veggie Burger

Finally, a veggie burger recipe I can get behind! This has been months in the making. Many failed attempts and gross mushy burgers were consumed along the way, but it has finally arrived. My go-to veggie burger recipe. After my first failed attempt I discover Korduroy TV's tutorial here, and just kept making the recipe over and over, tweaking it a bit more each time, until I came up with one that met all my requirements. I wanted it to be fully veggie (no beans or rice) and gluten free. Oh and taste good. That's needed, right? My burger-loving, mushroom-hating husband loves these - that was proof right there that this recipe needed to be shared with the masses for veggie lovers and haters alike to enjoy together. 

The best thing about these is that you can make a batch (or several) and freeze them for up to one month! Simply pull a burger out of the freezer in the morning, defrost in the refrigerator during the day, and cook for dinner that night - or place the frozen burger in a plastic bag and thaw in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes before cooking. 

Makes 6 veggie burgers. 

Ingredients

1 cup GF rolled oats, ground 

1 cup shelled sunflower seeds, ground

1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup grated carrot About 1 large carrot.

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini About 1 medium zucchini.

3 cups mushrooms, finely chopped I used white mushrooms.

1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking

salt + pepper

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

Begin by processing your oats and sunflower seeds in a food processor or Nutri-Bullet, each separately, until they turn into a flour. Place the flours in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Next, chop the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Then grate the carrot and zucchini. Heat a large skillet to medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and onion to the pan, and cook until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute or two. Add the grated veggies and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the diced mushrooms, mix well, and sprinkle mixture with a pinch or two of salt and pepper, if desired. Continue cooking veggie burger mixture until the mushrooms are fully cooked and shrunk down into small pieces, about another 6-7 minutes. 

Add the veggie mixture to the large mixing bowl containing the flours, give it a stir, then add the soy sauce and mix thoroughly. If you think your mixture is too wet, simply grind more oats or sunflower seeds and add until thick enough to handle. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then shape the 6 burger patties with your hands and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or a plate that will fit in your freezer). Freeze, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes before transferring burgers to a large ziplock freezer bag. Use a straw to suck out the last bit of air to vacuum seal them like I did (pictured above). Thaw in the refrigerator before cooking, or cook right away without freezing. 

For cooking, I recommend heating a skillet to medium heat, adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil, and cooking the burger for 3-4 minutes on each side - or until nicely browned and crisp. Flatten out your burger with the back of a spatula when cooking into a nice patty. Serve any way you would like: on a bun, between buttered + toasted slices of bread, wrapped in lettuce, on top of a salad, etc.