Veggie Burger Bliss

Not all veggie burgers were created equal. Some contain dairy products. Some contain over-proccessed soy ingredients. Some try to taste like meat, but really taste like rubber. Some are dry and boring.

But then others are absolutely amazing.

I have criteria for picking out delicious veggie burger patties: 1) It has to be vegan. Check and double check that label.  2) It shouldn’t try to look like or taste like meat. 3) It should only contain natural ingredients. Don’t buy anything with chemicals or scientific sounding ingredients. 4) It should be organic. Only pure and untainted veggies in my veggie burger, please.

My favorite patties are the Organic Sunshine Burgers, which meet each of the above criteria. Check out the ingredient list: Organic cooked brown rice, Organic ground raw sun-flower seeds, Orgainc carrots, Organic herbs and sea salt. Doesn’t get more natural than that.

For the buns, I always go with the Ezekiel brand. These are flourless, made with sprouted grain. They are hearty and fill you up, but don’t give you that carb-overload feeling. Always keep the Ezekiel bread products in the freezer to ensure freshness, then throw them in the toaster oven or on a skillet to reheat.

Also, this is as good a time as any for a small rant about ketchup. Have you ever turned the bottle over and read the ingredient list? High fructose corn syrup and additional corn syrup lurk in every bottle. There is no reason to put high fructose corn syrup into your body–ever.

Thankfully the good people at Organicville  make a wonderful ketchup that is free of HFCS, and uses agave nectar instead. Wheew! We can have our delicious veggie burger and our ketchup too.

Here’s what you need:

• Organic Sunshine Burger patties
• Ezekiel flourless, sprouted whole grain burger buns
• Earth Balance, nonhydrogenated vegan margarine
• Organic sliced tomato
• Organic sliced avocado
• Organic microgreens
• Sliced red onion

1. Defrost the Ezekiel buns, then spread each side with Earth Balance. Heat a medium sized skillet and place buns, buttered sides down in the pan. Cook until golden. Remove from heat.
2. Place the frozen patties in the sized skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes each side.
3. Once the patties are done cooking, throw the sliced onions in the skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes each side, until tender.
4. Assemble your burger. Open your bun and stack the following: sliced tomatoes, sliced avocados, patty, grilled onions, and then microgreens. Top with your bun and dig in!

For Homemade Fries:

• 1 large organic baking potato (makes 2 servings), peeled and cut into skinny fries
• 1 Tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil
• dash of salt

1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and cut potato.
2. Cook each side for 5-10 minutes until tender all the way through and crisped on the outside.
3. Remove from heat and season with salt.

Do you have a favorite veggie patty? Let me know below…