vegoftheweek

Meet Gryffy. He’s a four year old Swiss Mountain Dog mix who loves to eat grilled veggie burger pieces from my hand. At least the ones I made at a cookout hosted by his human parents. When I go there for food celebrations, I am always given the option to request some veggie side dishes to be made or bring ingredients to cook for myself. That particular year, I chose to whip up Portobello Mushroom Veggie Burgers, wrap them in foil, and be a grilled champ like everyone else.

Everyone else.

Reminds me of a decade ago when it seemed all my neighbors were having a cookout for Memorial Day. Traditional meaty holidays usually have no effect on me as macaroni and cheese is just as good on Thanksgiving as it is any other day. But something about that particular Memorial day made me feel a little left out. Watching everyone grill in perfect temperatures underneath cloud-free skies made me a little jealous. So I took a stroll down the street (I lived within 4 blocks walking distance of 3 grocery stores), bought a package of Tofu Pups, buns, and fixings, and had veggie hot dogs to celebrate the holiday. Gryffy’s critical ratings and Recipe for Portobello Mushroom Veggie Burger after the break…
Meaty holidays can sometimes be tough on vegetarians who choose to share the day with carnivores. We don’t always have a separate “Tofurky” ostracized from Mr. Butterball and many veggie side dishes just aren’t going to solve the hunger issue. Here’s a veggie burger recipe you can grill and enjoy smokey burgers like the rest of them.

These are more along the lines of what Vegetarian X or Z from Meat and Greet would enjoy, due to the hearty slices of celery, mushroom and oats. But even my carnivore host found the taste pleasant, so maybe Y’s will enjoy them too. One critic is decided, though. Gryffy gave these 4 paws up.  Whether this was his true rating or an ulterior way of soliciting a tummy rub…you’ll have to cook them and decide.   

Portobello Mushroom Veggie Burgers

• 4 cups water
• 1 1/4 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons onion granules
• 2 teaspoons garlic granules
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 4 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced
• 8 oz. portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1. Place celery, onion, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, onion granules, garlic granules, pepper, and 4 cups of water in a pot and bring to boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium, simmer 5 minutes, then stir in old fashion rolled oats, white and portobello mushrooms, and whole wheat pastry flour. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, transfer to heat-safe dish, and allow to cool. The mixture needs to be cold enough and firm enough to shape into patties so it might be a good idea to cool in the refrigerator or even the freezer to accelerate the cooling.
3. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 F and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
4. Once mixture has cooled, shape into average sized patties (maybe palm size is a good reference) and place patties on oiled baking sheet. Optional: Brush tops with olive oil.
5. Bake approximately 10-15 minutes on each side or until browned and toasted to your liking.
6. For hard core cook outers: Wait until your carnivore company has removed their meatiness from the grill (even though we’re wrapping them in foil, we’re snobs and don’t want to share space, right? Even better: GRILL YOURS FIRST!)
7. Wrap toasted burgers in foil completely and grill for about 7 minutes for a smokier taste
8. Garnish with favorite toppings.
9. Suggestions: Lettuce, tomato, grilled vegetables (onions, green peppers, etc.), ketchup, mayo, maybe vegan cheese of choice.

Week Links:

• Oprah Eating Vegan For 21 Days (Keetsa)

• Concerns Over Salt In Prepackaged Veggie Meats (UK Press)