THEME: Roasted Beet-Tofu Burgers
Jamie R
Source: FatFreeVegan.com
by SusanV on September 21, 2009
High Noon Caf�, the only vegetarian restaurant in Jackson,
Mississippi, where I live, serves the most unusual veggie burgers,
bright red with beets and soft in texture from the tofu. The first
time my husband recommended I try one, I was afraid to order it, but
once his burger came, I couldn't resist sampling it. The sandwich
comes piled with so many extras-vegan cheese, sun-dried tomato aioli,
mushrooms- that it took some doing to scrape off a clean sample of
the burger, but once I did, I was intrigued by its flavor, which was
lightly smoky but in a natural-tasting way, not through the use of
Liquid Smoke or hickory-flavored salt. I was sure that the source of
the smokiness must be the beets and was determined to try to
replicate the taste at home.
To pack in as much natural smoky flavor as I could, I decided to
roast the beets as well as the onion and garlic. To avoid adding
starch, I used ground flax seeds as a binder, so my burgers came out
less stable and easier to fall apart than the restaurant version, but
the flavor was very similar, with hints of earthiness and smoke.
Since the burgers had a tendency to fall apart, I didn't flip them
over halfway through cooking as I would have liked to do to aid in
browning, so the next time I make them I'll add either a couple of
teaspoons of corn starch or a couple of tablespoons of oat flour
(oatmeal pulverized in the blender). Otherwise, these red-violet
burgers were near-perfect to me. If you enjoy a spicier burger, feel
free to add more roasted garlic and chipotle chile powder, but not so
much as to drown out the beet. (Sorry, couldn't resist the one pun!)
They're shown here served with chipotle aioli (pureed chipotles mixed
with vegan mayo), which provided a nice spicy kick.
These burgers freeze well; in fact, freezing gives them a slightly
firmer texture. They can be reheated by microwaving for about 1
minute.
2 medium beets
1 medium onion
6-10 garlic cloves (or as many as you like)
14 ounces extra-firm tofu (not silken)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder or smoked paprika (optional, to taste)
Preheat oven to 350F. Wash and trim the beets, and wrap each one in
foil. Trim the onion and wrap it in foil. Wrap the unpeeled garlic in
foil (or trim the top of an entire head of garlic and wrap it). Place
all on a baking sheet and roast for 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven
and allow to cool until vegetables are easy to handle. (You can do
this step ahead of time, if you wish; just keep the roasted
vegetables in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the
burgers.)
While the vegetables are cooling, mash the tofu and stir in the
remaining ingredients.
When the onions and garlic are cool enough, peel the onion and chop
finely (I used a food processor). Squeeze the garlic from the cloves.
Add both to the tofu and mix well. Peel the skins from the beets
under running water, and shred. Add the shredded beets to the tofu,
stirring until the mixture is a uniform, bright color.
Shape into patties about 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick. Place on a
cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or silicon baking mat. Bake
at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for
a few minutes before removing with a spatula and serving.
Servings: 9
Yield: 9 burgers
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 79 calories, 31 (39%) calories from fat,
3.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 214.6mg sodium, 113.8mg potassium,
6.4g carbohydrates, 2.1g fiber, 2.1g sugar, 6.2g protein, 1.5 points.