Jun 22, 2015

Jerk chickpea burgers

vegan chickpea veggie burger

The other day, someone asked me, “When are you going to do a veggie burger recipe?”  As it happens, I had just perfected this baby: the jerk chickpea burger.

Veggie burgers can be a snore, but these got rave reviews at my recent backyard cookout. When developing this recipe, I was aiming for something super flavorful, and I think I hit that nail on the head. It does take a little while to grate/chop the vegetables, but if you have all the ingredients at hand, the burgers come together pretty easily. And they’re so worth it – the jerk sauce adds a Caribbean twist, while beets and tamari almonds take this burger to another level altogether.

I’m sure the choice of jerk sauce makes a difference in these burgers so choose carefully. I picked some Miss Lilly’s brand at Whole Foods and really like it, although the spicy variety is really spicy, so watch out!

Jerk Chickpea Burgers

2 cans chickpeas, well drained
¼ cup Jamaican jerk sauce
1 tablespoon ground flax seed whisked with 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 medium cooked beets, grated on the large holes of a box grater and squeezed dry (about ½ cup)
½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
1 medium carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about ½ cup)
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, finely minced
1/3 c. medium-coarse bulgur, cooked according to directions and well drained
1/2 c. whole wheat panko bread crumbs
¼ cup tamari almonds, well chopped (I pulsed in food processor)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
Whole wheat buns, red onions and romaine lettuce, for serving

Place the chickpeas, jerk sauce and flax-lime mixture in a food processor and process to a rough paste (can be slightly chunky).

In a bowl combine the chickpea mixture with the remaining ingredients, stirring well mixed. Refrigerate until read to use. Form into patties and grill on a well-oiled grate or vegetable tray. Alternatively, sauté in a skillet or brush with oil and bake at 375 for 10 minutes per side.

Serve on buns with additional jerk sauce, lettuce and sliced red onions.

Makes 8 burgers

Scrambled tofu I was never much of a tofu eater – I know all about the health concerns surrounding soy – but since I’ve gone vegan (OK, 99% vegan), I’ve let it sneak back into my diet once a week. Now, instead of our old Sunday morning egg ritual, we now have scrambled tofu. I figure eating tofu once a week can’t be too harmful – and I’ve really grown to love this dish.

Mind you, I’ve had a lot of really bad scrambled tofu in my day, especially dishes that are just cubes of tofu with vegetables and no hint of “scrambling.”  So it took me a while to come up with a combination that I liked. My secret ingredient is za’atar, a traditional Middle Eastern spice blend with cumin, sumac, sesame seeds and other spices. It gives the tofu a nice savory bite and nicely offsets the onions, peppers and tomatoes I use.

You can buy Za’atar at Whole Foods and elsewhere, but you can also make your own. The quality of the tofu you use makes a big difference, so choose carefully. If you can find a locally made brand, great. I use Woodstock Farms extra-firm tofu.

I hope you’ll make this for your next Sunday breakfast. You can try switching up the vegetables – I’ve been known to add sauteed kale or zucchini. If you come up with a great variation of your own, please leave a comment!

Scrambled Tofu with Za’atar

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil or high-oleic safflower oil

1 small onion, or half a medium onion, minced

½ medium red bell pepper, diced small

1 medium tomato, diced

14-16 ounces extra-firm tofu (organic and non-GMO), well drained

1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon za’atar

¾ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion and pepper over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cook a couple minutes longer, until the tomato starts to break down. Add the tofu by squeezing the blocks through your fingers into the pan. Add the remaining ingredients except cilantro, raise the heat bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Serves 2