Veggie Burgers

serves 6 -8

Blend in food processor or mash with large fork:

8 oz. soft tofu

8 oz. black beans

Mix together: 1/3 C equal parts of two or more of the following and add to above:

textured vegetable protein

sunflower seeds

teff

hulled hemp seeds

wheat germ

Stir into mixture:

1 TLBS soy sauce

½ carrot, grated

½ zucchini squash, grated

1 C uncooked whole edamame

½ tsp black pepper

Form into at least one inch thick patties – 3-4 inches in diameter

Coat patties with an equal mixture of:

sesame seed

sunflower seeds

dried onions

Heat iron frying pan.

Add enough cooking oil to coat bottom of pan (optional: plus tsp sesame seed oil).

Lower heat as coating will easily burn. Place veggie burgers in pan. Fry for about 8 - 10 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Serving Suggestions: Serve on buttered grilled whole wheat bulkie rolls with tomato, avocado and red onion slices, red leaf lettuce, dill pickles, sautéed mushroom and green olives.

Serve with green salad.

Other condiments: Tahini sauce; brown mustard and piccalilli OR homemade sauce consisting of half C mayonnaise, half C sour cream (lite or regular) with 1 TLBS garlic powder stirred in. Refrigerate for several hours. Spread on veggie burger.

FOODNOTES: The best Veggie Burger I've ever eaten was in a small Manhattan restaurant. I met an old friend there thirty-something years since we had last seen each other - wonderful reunion. He order a steak on a roll, while I took a chance with the Veggie Burger. This is where I discovered how delicious a veggie burger could be mixed with nutty grains, fresh vegetables and whole edamame bulging out of the sides.

The above recipe, committed to paper, is my tribute to the happy memories I have of my friend Peter, a lifetime ago, and to the fact that I love NY! This recipe; the results of my impression of the veggie burger, came out even better than what I remembered eating in that little restaurant.

The nice part is that this can make this with some very basic ingredients, adding more or less grains and seeds to it as or it can be made with just the tofu and beans. It is delicious made just with the black beans.

I began adding new and interesting grains to my pantry as I learned how to use them in vegetarian cooking. I learned that the important thing is to feel physically satisfied with what I eat and to gain a connection with mother earth when I prepare foods, by using grains like teff that are quite delicious, versatile, and a major food source in Africa.