Easy Gluten Free Homemade Veggie Burgers

Remember Monday’s post when I said I’d doubled the rice and lentils to make veggie burgers? Well, here they are. I love Sunshine Burgers* and usually have a box in the freezer for an almost instant lunch or dinner.  But when I’m out, I make my own.  This is one of the fastest and least expensive recipes you can make and its a great vegetarian protein combination, too.

For this recipe I had set aside approximately three cups each of the lentils and the rice. I added the chopped veggies and seasonings and used an immersion blender to get the texture I wanted. Pushing the blender down through the mixture several times the mixture was mostly pureed but still had some whole rice grains and lentils for texture. This is a really basic recipe you can change with your favorite herbs and spices.

Veggie Burgers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line baking sheet with parchment paper

3 cups cooked brown rice

3 cups cooked lentils

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ cup grated carrots

¼  cup minced onion

1 clove minced garlic

Dash of salt, pepper and cayenne

Place everything but 1 Tablespoon of olive oil together and 1) blend with immersion blender or 2) blend with food processor or 3) mash with a manual potato masher.  Do not over blend or process as you want some texture.

Shape one cup spoonfuls of mixture into patties on the parchment paper. Drizzle about ½ teaspoon of olive oil on top of each patty and brush over top.  Bake until browned – about 25 minutes in my oven.

The sandwich rolls were made with a one loaf-sized package Pamela’s Bread mix.  I used the standard bread recipe and shaped it into six rolls. The dough is very sticky, so smooth it over with very wet hands to get a nice, smooth bun shape.  They also took about 25 minutes to bake.

Joe is a purist and had a plain cheese veggie burger.

Mine was topped with a roasted red pepper and eggplant spread and I added a handful of fresh baby spinach. So yummy!

*Why Sunshine Burgers?  Because they are not only gluten free but soy free and non-GMO. They're the only brand I've found that meets our needs and they just taste great, too.

Like Sunshine Burgers homemade veggie burgers can crumble easily so transfer them from baking sheet to bun with a spatula. You can purposefully crumble them when making wraps or adding them to nachos. 

Meatless Monday & The More-with-Less Cookbook

Kusherie

Happily shared on Gluten Free Wednesdays!

If you are not familiar with the More-with-Less Cookbook, I highly recommend that you check it out.  My 25^th anniversary edition was published in 2000 so there’s nothing new or cutting edge about it.

What More-with-Less is all about is eating simply, with joy and helping others. On a nutritional level the three ways it makes sense to me are 1) the focus on eating more whole grains, legumes, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, 2) the use of meat and dairy products sparingly which is a healthy and lower cost way of eating and 3) the avoidance of processed foods. I’m all over #3.  Not only are packaged and convenience foods more expensive and less nutritious but they often contain artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.   

More-with-Less is not a gluten free or vegetarian cookbook but there are lots of recipes that work well for both.  What is really inspiring to me about this Mennonite cookbook is the premise that if you lower the cost of your own food you’ll have more money to share with those in need. Missionaries and home cooks from all over the world have submitted recipes so they are varied but very accessible. There are not a lot of hard to find ingredients or spices you’ll use only once - just new ways of combining lots of favorite foods.

The recipe for Kusherie is a great example. Kusherie is a type of Egyptian fast food.  Rice, lentils, a tomato based sauce and browned onions on top. Homey and satisfying. Because I was sure I had celery and peppers in my fridge and didn’t my sauce was very basic but still really good. As much as I enjoy the browned onions, they just aren’t a big seller here so I just took one leek and lightly browned it. The variation suggested in the book omits the sauce and uses plain yogurt between the lentils and onions which is how I'll enjoy my leftovers at lunch.

Speaking of leftovers, I doubled the rice and lentils last night so that I'd have enough of each to make veggie patties.  They'll be mashed with garlic, carrots, onions and spices for inexpensive and quick veggie burgers later.

The preparation is very simple and straight-forward and most of the ingredients are pantry staples here.  Don’t let the four steps throw you, no step takes more than a few minutes to prepare and just need some simmer time.  As you start one pot, move on to the next and the next. My prep time was under twenty minutes and I wrote most of this post while things simmered.

Kusherie – adapted from More-with-Less

Serves 6 – 8

In your first pan start the rice:

1 ½ cups rice rinsed and cooked according to package directions.  I used brown basmati but any rice is good.  Keep warm

Next, start the lentils:

1 ¼ cups brown lentils.  Wash and drain.  Place in pan with 1 Tablespoon Olive oil and sauté lightly.  Add 3 cups of boiling water with a dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Simmer until done, approximately 30 minutes.  Keep warm.

Note: you can save a pot by using white rice which will cook faster and cooking the rice and lentils in the same pot – same taste, different presentation.  I would rinse both the rice and lentils in the same large pot and sauté them before adding the boiling water.

While they are simmering, start your sauce on the third burner:

2 cans organic diced tomatoes (approximately 15 ounces)

1 chopped green pepper

1 handful chopped celery leaves

½ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes

Simmer about 30 minutes and keep warm.

Note: omit the sauce if you’re in a hurry and use a large spoonful of plain yogurt instead. 

Lastly, sauté a leek on the fourth burner.  Stir occasionally and add a dash of garlic powder as they are done.  Keep warm.  Alternatively, slice three large onions and sauté with four cloves of garlic over medium heat until brown.  Keep warm.

Serve the rice and lentils in a bowl, top with sauce or yogurt and leeks or onions.

For more about More-with-Less, click here.

Enjoy!