If you think beef and burger go together like peanut butter and jelly, you`ve been watching too many commercials. With today`s changing attitude toward health and diet, many restaurants are offering tasty beefless burgers. Even the tried and true meat eater is nibbling these new meatless variations of the faithful hamburger–and loving it.
In meatless burgers, seasoning is especially important. Most recipes call for onion, garlic, freshly ground pepper and often parsley and oregano. For a nice, light crunchiness, coat the burgers in brown rice flour or bran flour before cooking.
The following burgers are fast to prepare and taste a lot like meatloaf. The texture is similar to meatloaf, too. These taste great with a slice of melted Swiss cheese in pita bread. Serve with more honey-sweetened catsup.
OATMEAL CHEESE BURGERS
Four servings
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Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes
1 large clove garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/3 cup raw rolled oats (not instant)
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup catsup sweetened with 1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Bran or brown rice flour
1. Mash garlic to a paste with salt. Add to all other ingredients, except bran or brown rice flour, in a medium-sized bowl. Mix together with hands. Let mixture stand for about 5 minutes so flavor soaks into oatmeal.
2. Form into patties and dip in flour. Burgers may be baked at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning once, or pan-fried in a small amount of oil or broiled for about 4 minutes on each side. Broiling is best.
These light vegetable burgers are similar to zucchini latkes. Serve with yogurt dressing in pita bread. Good with pilaf.
ZUCCHINI PATTIES
Two to four servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
2 cups packed, coarsely grated zucchini (squeeze to remove water)
2 tablespoons oil
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup cooked bulgur wheat or rice
Salt to taste
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2 eggs, beaten
Yogurt sauce, recipe follows
1. Steam zucchini until tender. Heat oil in medium skillet and saute onions until soft. Add parsley and basil. In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, sunflower seeds, bulgur wheat or rice and salt. Stir in eggs. Add zucchini and onion mixture.
2. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto lightly greased skillet and spread to form patties. Brown on both sides over medium heat about 4 minutes each side. YOGURT SAUCE
About 1 1/2 cup
Preparation time: 8 minutes
1 cup yogurt
1 medium clove garlic, mashed to a paste with salt
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Combine all ingredients. Serve with burgers.