This burger is a favorite. Your main mission is to pan fry the burgers until a thick crust forms. Any heavy-bottomed seasoned skillet will work but, to create the perfect texture, my pan of choice is cast iron. Be warned: no-stick pans will not do the job properly!

I like this burger served “naked” with a dollop of Thai hot chili sauce. Another excellent way to serve these is to make small “meatballs” and serve them on top of spaghetti with tomato sauce. Or for a satisfying brunch dish, make one rather large and flat panfried burger for each person and nestle a poached egg on top of it.

Serves 8

Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. short or long-grain brown rice
2 t. kosher salt (more or less, to taste)
1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped mushrooms (button, crimini, Portobello)
1 c. kasha (buckwheat groats)
1 c. chopped toasted walnuts (cashews, hazelnuts, or other nuts)
3-4 T. chopped fresh tarragon (or parsley)
Flour for dredging the burgers
Vegetable oil for frying

To prepare:
Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a couple of minutes more.

Add the rice, salt, mushrooms, and 5 cups of water to the vegetable mixture and bring water to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 25 minutes. Now stir in the kasha and cook until the rice and kasha are tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about another 20 minutes more.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the nuts and herbs. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer the mixture in batches to a food processor and pulse until coarsely or finely chopped. The mixture can also be left “whole,” as another option. Put processed burger mixture in a large bowl and cover it if you aren’t forming the burgers right away. Otherwise, proceed as follows.

Dust your hands with flour and, using your hands, form the mixture firmly into large patties. Lightly coat each pattie with flour to create the crust.

Heat a generous amount of oil (1/8- to 1/4-inch depth) in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Pan fry the burgers until the undersides are dark golden brown, about 5 minutes, checking frequently to prevent burning. Flip the burgers, and brown the other side in the same manner.

Note: These burgers can be formed into patties, separated by wax or parchment paper and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. For longer storage, up to 2 months, burgers can be frozen. It is best to individually wrap burgers in plastic before freezing. Frozen burgers must be defrosted completely before cooking.

I find that defrosting them in their wrapper in the microwave for two minutes makes the burger easier to handle and able to keep its beautiful rounded shape. The added bonus is that it is already warm inside, therefore it cooks and browns much faster. Microwaving also gives you the flexibility to cook up a burger at a moment’s notice.

Didi Emmons came on the show and made these burgers and ever since I was hooked. They’re truly spectacular. Note that these must be cooked over low heat, otherwise, the sugars in the beet will burn. But really, even if you’re hasty and burn the burgers, they’ll still taste fabulous. I recommend eating it bun-less, next to a big salad, with a puddle of hot sauce. You can freeze burgers in individual packages for easy preparation.

Makes approximately 8 burgers

2 T. vegetable oil
3 small beets, scrubbed well (about 1 lb.)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped (roasted)
1 mediun carrot ( scrubbed and roasted)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3-4 good quality beet green leaves
½ c. walnut pieces
1 c. raw millet
2 slices of whole wheat bread, lightly toasted
½ c. wheat germ (optional)
¼ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the oil on a baking sheet. Cut the beets into quarters and place them on the sheet pan. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic too. Lightly season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Bake until the beets are cooked, about 25-30 minutes, or until a knife enters the beet easily. Let the vegetables cool for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the millet. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and add the millet. Cook the millet for 30 minutes, over very low heat, and covered. When the millet is finished, put it into a large bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.

In a food processor, combine the walnuts, the bread, the garlic, and the pumpkin seeds, and wheat germ, if using. Process until the bread is a nice fine crumb texture. Add the mixture to the millet.

Now add the vegetables to the processor and process until well chopped. Add the vegetables to the bowl as well. Stir the mixture with a large spoon and season liberally with salt and pepper. When the mixture is thoroughly mixed, chill it for 1 hour.

Form about 8 generously sized burgers with your hands, packing each down into a nice even height.

To cook the burgers, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a sauté pan, over low heat. When the pan is hot, add the burgers. Do not move them once they are in the pan because this will cause them to fall apart. Let the burgers cook for a few minutes, then with a spatula, carefully flip them and continue cooking the other side until nicely browned. You want to develop a nice caramelized crust. Repeat with the remaining burgers, or freeze the extras in individual baggies for a convenient burger meal whenever you need it.

A delicious vegetarian alternative to traditional Maryland Crabcakes without any compromise on flavor.

Ingredients:
½ c. celery
½ c. minced yellow onion
1/3 c. minced carrot
½ of a small green pepper, minced
¼ c. chopped parsley
½ t. neutral oil (canola or grapeseed)
16 oz. firm tofu, pressed and dry
1 sheet Nori seaweed, chopped
½ c. vegan mayonnaise
5 slices whole wheat bread toasted and processed into fine crumbs (can be done ahead) *
1 T. Old Bay seasoning
2 t. dry mustard
1 t. salt
1 c. Panko bread crumbs (for coating and frying)
Cooking spray

To prepare:
Preheat the oven to 350 if baking.

In a lightly oiled skillet, sauté celery, onion, carrot, pepper, and parsley until the vegetables are softened but firm. Set them aside. Process tofu in food processor until it has a cottage cheese consistency, but do not purée.

In a bowl, combine the processed tofu, vegetables, half of the whole wheat bread crumbs, mayo, seaweed, and seasonings and mix everything well. If the mixture seems too wet and isn’t holding together, add the remaining toasted crumbs a little at a time until you have a mixture that is moist and easy to shape into patties. Usually I use the entire amount of toasted crumbs, however depending on how dry the tofu is, you may need less.

Form about 10 half-inch thick patties, using about 1/3 cup of mixture for each. Coat each pattie with Panko bread crumbs.

Spray or heat a little oil in a seasoned (or nonstick) skillet until the pan is hot but the oil isn’t smoking. Gently lay each pattie in the pan and fry. Don’t fuss with these until they move freely when you gently shake the pan. When the pattie is golden brown on one side, gently turn it over and fry the other side.

Alternatively, you can place the patties on an oiled, seasoned (or nonstick) baking sheet. Spray each pattie lightly with cooking spray and bake about 15 minutes. Then, gently turn the patties and continue baking until toasty brown.

Serve hot or warm with Wasabi Mayonnaise . I like these with oven french fries and coleslaw.

Healthy and delicious, this burger is long on flavor and texture and uses the oft-ignored black-eyed pea. I also love any excuse to use shallots and they add such a wonderful depth of flavor to this recipe. Try this pattie on a bun, accompanied by mashed potatoes, or with savory rice, and a light salad.

Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can black eyed peas, drained & rinsed
1 medium-sized shallot, finely minced
1 scallion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. parsley, chopped
¼ t. chili sauce
6 oz. cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, chopped
2 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ c. flour (for dredging the patties)
Oil for frying

To prepare:
Mash the black-eyed peas in a bowl and add the shallot, scallion, parsley, and chili sauce.

Heat a skillet on medium heat and, when it’s hot, add the olive oil. Wait a few seconds for the oil to heat through, then add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté just a few minutes until the mushrooms are nicely browned but not cooked down. Add the toasted walnuts and the garlic and sauté for about a minute, then remove the pan from the heat and add the mushroom-walnut mixture to the mashed pea mixture. Blend well with a fork or your hands. The mixture should be fairly dry and easily shaped into patties. Form patties to desired size.

Heat a heavy cast iron skillet with a good coating of vegetable oil. Put the half cup of flour on a plate then dredge each burger in flour. Carefully place the patties in the hot, oiled skillet and cook until you have a nice brown crispy coating. Turn the burger carefully and brown the other side. When both sides are crispy, place the burger on a bun, add your favorite burger toppings, and serve with a salad for a delicious light meal.

This recipe serves two to four and is easily doubled.

The answer is yes. You can substitute another ingredient and omit the mushrooms. A veggie burger is really what you make it, but the base ingredients of grains and nuts don’t change much. Mushrooms simply add a little texture and moisture to the burger, as well as a particular flavor. If you don’t like mushrooms, try adding zucchini or eggplant (finely diced and stir fried) or some extra steamed carrots.

A cup and a half of mushrooms cooks down to very little, so the recipe doesn’t depend on them. Zucchini and eggplant are both big on moisture and, if you want to, try adding more herbs to compensate for the deep flavor of the mushrooms. You can also add half a cup more of nuts. The trick here is to keep the moisture level up so the burgers are easier to work with. You don’t want the mixture to be wet, but you do want it to have a slightly sticky moist texture. If you don’t like mushrooms, give this a try and let me know how it works. Good luck and remember, everybody can cook, the more you experiment the better you’ll get.