A Burger Lookalike in a Veggie Burger

Hi folks. Happy new week! Hope youre Monday is starting off well. Today I’m sharing a recipe for this crazy vegetarian burger that’s a lookalike to the basic burger. You would never know looking at these pics that this is a veggie burger. But it is!

In fact it looked so much like your regular beef burger that this was my text exchange with my daughter …

Me “Grilling up some homemade veggie burgers”
Sri “Let me know how they are”
Looks like meat lol !!
Me “I know!”
Sri “Looks like a legit burger hahah”
Me “Seriously i felt like i was eating a regular burger!”
Sri “I don’t know how I feel about it LOL!!”

About the recipe

Over the weekend I shared a recipe for these homemade dill pickles that my daughter made with a recipe from food blog loveandlemons.

Dill Pickles

I loved this blog so much I signed up for their updates. Then on Sunday I got this recipe in my inbox for what they call “The Best Veggie Burger”. It looked so good that we had to give it a try. Best veggie burger on loveandlemons.com

What makes this recipe look like the real thing is the ingredients. Its got mushrooms, warm brown rice, walnuts, flax seeds with shallots and flavor sauces like siracha, mirin, maple syrup, and worcestershire sauce,

Once you grind all the ingredients together in a food processor you form the mixture into patties and get ready to grill!

Then as we all know its all about the toppings!!! Pile on the pickles, onions, tomatoes, ketchup mustard, avocado, go for it all!

Cook’s Notes: This really is a no fuss recipe with awesome results. As delicious as these patties are we thought it could use more flavor like more garlic and caramelized onions, and maybe even a dash of chili flakes 😋. Here is a recipe for delicious veggie burgers that are made with good for you plant based ingredients that look like a regular burger.

Best Veggie Burger
From loveandlemons with a few modifications

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
2 shallots, chopped (⅔ cup) – we used 1 large onion or 4 shallots
16 ounces mushrooms, mix of shiitake + portobello, stemmed and diced
2 tablespoons tamari
¼ cup balsamic vinegar – we increased the amount by an additional 2 tbsp
1 tablespoon mirin, or ½ teaspoon maple syrup
2 garlic cloves, minced – go for at least 6 garlic cloves for more flavor!
½ teaspoon smoked paprika – or 1/4 tsp chili powder
2 teaspoons sriracha, more if desired
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup ground flaxseed – we substituted with pumpkins seeds since we were our of flaxseeds
2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice, freshly cooked so that it’s sticky*
1 cup panko bread crumbs, divided
Vegan Worcestershire sauce, for brushing
Nonstick cooking spray, for grilling
Hamburger buns & desired burger fixings
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until soft, 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt, and sauté until soft and browned, 6 to 9 minutes, turning down the heat slightly, as needed.
Stir in the tamari, vinegar, and mirin. Stir, reduce the heat, then add the garlic, smoked paprika, and sriracha. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
In a food processor, combine the sautéed mushrooms, walnuts, flaxseed, brown rice, and ½ cup of the panko. Pulse until just combined. The mixture should hold together when pinched, but it should still have some texture.
Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the remaining panko.
Form into 8 patties.
If you’re grilling the patties, preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Spray the grill with nonstick cooking spray and drizzle or brush the patties with olive oil. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until well-charred and cooked through.
Alternately, cook the patties on the stove. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Brush the skillet with oil and cook the patties for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until well-charred and cooked through.
Remove from the heat, brush with Worcestershire sauce, and serve with desired fixings.