Recipe: Whole 30 Veggie Burgers [Vegetarian, Gluten Free, and Legume Free]

Thursday, September 3, 2015
Since I'm terrible at making my own food look good and then in turn taking pretty pictures of it, we are going to make this brief.

^ Like, what even is that?

I had a dream Tuesday night that I drank wine on day two of my Vegetarian Whole 30. As in...I couldn't even last TWO DAYS without wine. What are you trying to tell me subconscious self? Well, I am proud to report that I am at the start of Day Three, and I have had zero drops of wine! Take THAT Dream Kim!

(Also, what does it say about me that I find going without wine for three days - well two days and a morning technically - a major feat to be proud of?)

Anyway, I made Whole30-qualified, vegetarian, gluten-free, legume-free veggie burgers Tuesday, and while they were absolutely as high maintenance as they sound (this is where pre-planned meal prepping comes into play, folks), they were delicious! I topped them off with a quick, way-too-basic-but-still-great guacamole (it's essentially the standard weeknight guac I have in my arsenal) and paired them with some baked sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli with ghee.


I'm a huge weeknight veggie burger fan in general. They're great because you can pop them in the freezer, save 'em for a later date, and thaw for a quick meal at any point. Also, confession time, when I made my guacamole for the patties this time around, I think I used garlic salt instead of garlic powder + salt. Well yesterday I looked at the ingredients of the garlic salt and it said "garlic, salt, and calcium searate." I have searched the web high and low to see if calcium searate is Whole 30 approved and have found nothing. So I may have already violated the program? Oops? From here on out I'll be doing the powder + salt combo to be safe, which I've done in the past, and it is totally fine!

As for the patties themselves, it's tricky trying to get them to solidify without the use of beans, which is why I created a mushroom, carrot, egg "paste." It still came out a little soft in the center, but if carefully charred around the surface, you'll get a patty. In hindsight, I think adding some boiled smashed potatoes to the patty would have created the bean effect I was looking for. I'll probably try this out next time, and report back to you! Regardless, the flavor of the patties is A+, and they definitely serve as a solid addition to any Vegetarian Whole 30!

Whole 30 Veggie Burgers [Vegetarian, Gluten Free, and Legume Free]


(Makes 4 patties + Guacamole topping)

Patty Ingredients:
  • 3 carrots, peeled chopped
  • 4 oz of mushrooms (about 5 small - I used baby bellas)
  • 3/4 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 3/4 medium onion, finely diced
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/8 Tbsp. cumin seeds, crushed with the flat edge of a knife
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • sea salt + pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. full fat canned coconut milk
  • 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 C. almond flour

Guacamole ingredients:
  • 2 medium sized avocados
  • 2-4 lemon wedges (up to you!)
  • pinch of garlic powder
  • pinch of chili powder
  • sea salt to taste

Veggie Burger Instructions:

1) Place mushrooms and carrots into a small pot and add water to cover (mushrooms will float). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

2) While mushroom and carrots are simmering, whisk egg and spices together.

3) Drain mushrooms and carrots, and place in food processor. Pour in egg/spice mixture, olive oil, and coconut milk. Process until it forms a slightly lumpy paste.

4) Pour almond flour into a large bowl and combine with paste mixture and remaining vegetables. Form into 4 patties and place on a plate. Put plate in refrigerator or freezer for 10-20 minutes to solidify patties a bit.

5) Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a skillet (I use a Misto sprayer filled with olive oil). Once heated, place patties on skillet and cook covered over medium heat, roughly 5 minutes per side, or until firm and lightly charred.

Guacamole Instructions:

1) Mash avocados with a fork.

2) Squeeze lemon wedges onto avocados, and add the spices. Combine.

Top veggie burger patties with guacamole and enjoy!



I swear it tastes good.

2 comments:

  1. Mine kept falling apart ): Any tips?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Eileen - It's really tough without having breadcrumbs or oats, but I tried removing the carrots and mushrooms altogether, upping the almond meal, and adding some smashed potatoes, which did help a bit. I also think experimenting with different nuts would be a great idea - I've made meatless meatballs that use walnuts as the base, which held together pretty well! Please let me know if you come up with any other tricks that help!

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