Tempeh Veggie Burgers

Freezer and crock pot meals have been a big game changer for me when it comes to meal prep and planning. I’m sure it’s the same with a lot of you. This year, it’s all about doing it better and changing up the recipes. We try to have a good stock of veggie burgers in the freezer at all times, but over the holidays our count dwindled to zero.

We bought a bulk slab of tempeh (two pounds!) at the Greenstar Coop the last time we were in Ithaca, and I’ve been waiting to do something amazing with it. When I thought to mix together my Freezer Veggie Burger recipe, I stopped myself short. A few pulses of the food processor later and this “meaty” burger was born.

TEMPEH VEGGIE BURGERS

Double this recipe to make 16-18 freezable* burgers.

What you’ll need . . .

• 1 pound tempeh, chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 large bell pepper, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped (or 1 clove garlic)
• 2 tablespoons ACV
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup ground flax meal
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• salt, pepper
• other seasonings (optional)

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Alternatively, I used a special pan to form my burgers, which I’ll write more about in a minute.
2. Chop all ingredients and place in your food processor. It helps to pulse the veggies a little first. Then all the tempeh and continue pulsing with the wet ingredients. Then let blend for a few minutes until a wet dough forms.
3. Scoop heaping 1/4 cup of dough onto your sheet and form patties. Flatten slightly.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, until burgers feel a bit firm. Then it’s up to you. You can eat right out of the oven. If you want to eat them right away, I suggest heating some olive oil in a pan and browning both sides (I like the crispy texture). 
5. *To freeze: Cool burgers on a cooling rack and then place on wax paper on a baking sheet in the freezer until frozen. Put in an airtight container (zip bag is great). To re-heat, let thaw for around 30 minutes. Then heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and brown on both sides.

My mother-in-law bought me this Muffin Top Pan for Christmas, and I’ve made tons of stuff in it, just not muffins! I love the shape for cookies, burgers, and even baked egg dishes (more on that soon). So, if you think a sheet like this might have a million purposes in your kitchen, I wholeheartedly agree.

See? Perfect patties!


I’ve been eating my burgers open-faced on a slice of toasted Ezekiel bread lately. More flavor, a little less bread, and definitely saves money. (That bread is so expensive, which is why we usually make our own.) With a little cheese broiled on top, some sliced tomato, and BBQ sauce? Perfecto.

Stay warm today, friends!


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Vegan Spiedie Wrap

We're at that point where we're again deciding whether or not to ditch cable. It happens every year around this time. But when we watched more TV, we were quite hooked on Adam Richman's Man vs. Food. I link to it often, but if you haven't already -- you can check our sandwich tribute here.

Oh, and I found this goodie -- El Chubacabra -- lurking in our video archives -- all the way from 2009!

I guess I'm glad we didn't pull the plug just yet, because we caught the tail-end of his newer series Best Sandwich in America last night. The episode got me thinking about local and regional food specialties. Like Rochester, NY's garbage plate or Philly's cheesesteak, for example.

There's another upstate NY favorite called the Spiedie, which is a sandwich assembled with cubes of meat marinated in a special sauce, grilled over charcoal, and slapped into a submarine roll. Our favorite local brewery makes a vegan version, but we can't afford to go out to eat much these days.

So, we now make it at home!


VEGAN SPIEDIE WRAP FOR 2

#1: The sauce is sold at local grocery stores in the area. But we made ours with a recipe we found online, subbing olive oil for canola. It comes together quickly, and is basically just oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and lots of Italian spices.

#2: The wrap/bread? Pieces of basic 5-minute naan -- but with two teaspoons baking powder instead of just 1/2. One batch made two large pieces perfect for stuffing.


#3: Other ingredients needed:

• One package of 7-grain (or your favorite) tempeh
• 1 large, ripe avocado
• 2 to 4 tablespoons Vegenaise
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• Handful spinach or mixed greens

Method . . .

• Cut tempeh into triangles. Set aside.
• In a fry pan over medium heat, pour in 1/4 to 1/2 cup Spiedie sauce (keep the rest in your fridge for a rainy day) and add tempeh. Cook, turning over several times, until both sides are browned.
• Make your naan -- again, instructions are here. You just need two large pieces.
• Mix together the Vegenaise and horseradish. Spread into your bread. Then top with the cooked tempeh.
• Slice an avocado and distribute evenly between wraps. Top with spinach/greens. Fold or roll over and enjoy!

Maybe not 100% traditional, but amazingly good. Pairs well with a summer shandy (mixture of 1/2 beer, 1/2 lemonade)!


What's a dish that's indigenous to your part of the world? Have you tried making it at home?

Yesterday I wrote about some random Wednesday Stuff over on Writing Chapter Three -- including my new glasses. It's day #2 with them, and I'm still smitten.

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101 Cookbooks: Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh

Tempeh is one of those fake meat-y products that I used to enjoy immensely, but sort of forgot about until, well, this weekend. For those of you who aren't familiar, tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans. It's often mixed with grains (like barley) and has a nutty flavor (unlike tofu, which has a somewhat blah flavor unless you really dress it up). It's also good for you because it's high in protein and calcium. (Source)

So, why exactly did I think of tempeh?

101 Cookbooks is continually a source of food and photography inspiration for me. I've been reading the site for years now, but I haven't written about any of the recipes. Now that my training is greatly reduced, I've been FAR more health conscious . . . eating less bread and cheese in favor of other grains and more veggies. So, instead of the usual pizza or huge sandwich Friday night, I opted to hunt around for something fresh. Healthy. Delicious.


Then, I found the Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh recipe, which Heidi explains originally came from Austrailian whole foods chef Jude Blereau. It looked gingery, garlicy, orangey -- vibrant and full of flavor. Incredibly healthy. I had to have it.

As soon as possible.

So we set out and bought all the ingredients for around $15 (a far better deal than going out to eat, I'd say!). And I've been doing this thing lately where I follow recipes exactly. I'm trying my best to learn technique, so if you'd like to make this dish, check out the recipe in full.

ORANGE PAN-GLAZED TEMPEH: Our Adventure



I made a few changes, including:

• Used 1 cup of pulp-free orange juice versus freshly squeezed (much cheaper!)
• Omitted the "mirin" because we have no idea what it is!***
• Used ground ROASTED coriander because it sounded more interesting.
• Omitted the lime.
• Served it atop a bed of wilted spinach versus wheat berries (there are already grains in the tempeh)

When I read that you should grate the ginger, but then squeeze it over the sauce bowl to extract the juices, I was skeptical. I had never squeezed ginger before. So, I had no idea you COULD squeeze it!


It works very well. Simply squeeze as much juice out as you can and then discard the pulp.


Here's how I cut the tempeh into little triangles:


Heidi mentions you may also use tofu as a substitute. In fact, I can't wait to try it again using tofu. I bet it would soak in ever more of the amazing orange flavor!


BEER BREAK with a long-time favorite: Ithaca Brewery's Cascazilla -- a hoppy red ale. We drank some while the tempeh fried on the stove. I usually flip tofu (seitan, etc., etc.) several times while frying, but just 5 minutes on each side works perfectly for tempeh.

Oh, yes. Cilantro is a must. I gives the dish a pop of extra goodness. I know many of you don't love it . . . so, you can always leave it out. But did you know that coriander IS cilantro. I didn't. I learned only recently (like two years ago). For some reason, there is a pretty big taste difference between the leaves and seeds. So, if you're not big on the sprig, give the spice a try!


My only critique? I was still very hungry upon finishing this meal. It serves between "2 and 4," however, it was quite light for two athletes. Plus: It. Was. Incredible. And I wanted more. Lots of it. So, instead of serving this dish for dinner, I'd recommend making it for lunch.

That recipe, again, can be found in full here on 101 Cookbooks.

Or doubling it, perhaps. NOM! Like I mentioned, we served ours with wilted spinach. Just take a bag of the green goodness (that serves two), and cook in a pot over low heat until limp. No oil needed -- just add in a tablespoon of water or so.


*** Also, later I looked what "mirin" and found out it's a Japanese cooking wine. I'm sure its flavor helps push this meal over the top, but usually when there's only a small amount of an exotic ingredient in a recipe, I omit it.

When getting recipes online and elsewhere, do you tend to tinker and make them your own? Or do you stick strictly to the directions? I'm always a "little-of-this, little-of-that" kind of cooker. But it's been interesting to follow the original writer's instructions! I made another recipe from 101 Cookbooks this weekend: Cashew Curry. Can't wait to share that with you all as well!

Anyway, we'd love to know your chef-style! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.


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