My Favorite Veggie Burger
Low protein "burgers" or any meat products for that matter, are difficult to recreate. My mom did an awesome job growing up of making me lots of different options when grilling out. She often made mushrooms burgers with egg replacer as the binding ingredient. We would fry up a whole pile of the minced mushroom burgers and freeze them individually so they were super easy to prepare for BBQs. Unfortunately, they still tended to fall apart.
Since then, my go-to was usually portabella mushroom caps. With the right marinade the flavor is usually full and they are always juicy. They are usually filling enough but my bigger complaint is that it is a whole lot of mushroom all at once. Sometimes, it just doesn't cut it for me (no matter how much ketchup I use)!
I then tried Cambrooke's burger patty mix. I determined the chicken patty mix is not for me (not sure what about the taste I do not like). The burger patty mix is okay but it needed something else. So, I decided to recreate the burgers my mom made growing up and sub out the egg replacer for the burger patty mix. This proved to be everything I hoped for and more.
My husband even tried it and gave it two thumbs up. Of course, my first question is always, "does it taste like the REAL thing" (do you blame me)? His answer was, not necessarily, but it is really good. I can settle on that and can tell you this is the BEST low protein burger I have ever had. Currently, one day later, I am craving it.
The key in this one is to mince everything up in a food processor. You can put any desired veggie. I want to try beets next time but figured I should keep things basic to ensure the correct proportions of ingredients (#testkitchen). The only I would not suggest is eggplant. It is difficult to dry out this veggie and I think the patty would lack texture.
Next time, I plan to mince half the mushrooms with the rest of the veggies and after add the rest so they are only coarsely chopped. I tend to prefer chunky but little kids may not.
Another tip, form the patties directly before frying. I made mine early and they stuck to the wax paper.
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Finally, I have said this before and will say it again (all day every day)... don't be cheap with the oil. Fry these suckers up! Get them golden and crispy on the outside. They are 1000 x better and it is such a healthy fat for kiddos who lack essential fatty acids in their natural diet. Of course, if you are dieting you can fry it in just a touch of oil but frying prior to baking is crucial for crispy texture.
Keep things simple. Throw all veggies into the food processor and blend. Scoop out and mix with burger patty mix. Form into patties and fry. Transfer to cookie sheet and bake until cooked through.
PKU Veggie Burgers
341 mg phe per whole recipe. Makes 7 large burger patties (48 mg phe each).
3 large carrots
1-8 ounce package of mushrooms
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 teas kosher salt
1 teas liquid smoke
1 teas Goya Adobo seasoning
1 cup Cambrooke Burger Patty Mix
Canola oil as needed
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mince carrots, mushrooms, onion, garlic, kosher salt, liquid smoke, and Adobo seasoning in food processor. Transfer to large bowl and mix in Cambrooke Patty Mix until blended.
Heat oil in skillet. Form patties to desired size. Fry in oil on both sides until crispy on outside. Transfer to cookie sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Serve immediately with desired toppings or freeze individually for easy grilling.
