Ultimate Veggie Burgers

Updated: I've made this recipe easier to follow so I'm republishing it from the archives. Enjoy!

These burger don't apologize for being vegetarian, and they're lightyears better than what you'll find in the frozen food section. They're so good, most adamant meat eaters would be willing to give up beef (for a night) to have one of these burgers.

One word of warning: This recipes takes the better part of the afternoon to make, but yields a whopping 16 patties. Unless you're having a big dinner party, you can put the extra, uncooked patties in the freezer and thaw them for a 10 minute meal on a weeknight.

Entrees

Prep: 2 hours
Cook: 15 min
Total: 2 hours 15 min
Yields 16 rolls

Brown Rice
2 cups water
1 cup dry brown rice (3 cups cooked)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
Bring water to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Add rice, butter, and salt. Stir once or twice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer. Cook for 1 hour 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.
Lentils
1 ½ cups water
½ cup dry brown lentils (1 ⅓ cups cooked)
Bring water to a boil. Add the lentils. Boil for 2 or 3 minutes and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 45 minutes.
TVP Mixture
2 cups dry TVP (textured vegetable protein)
TVP can be purchased in the bulk food aisle of Whole Foods and is also available in most supermarkets that stock Bob's Red Mill grains.
1 ½ cups hot water
In a medium bowl, combine dry TVP with hot water. Stir and set aside until ready to use.
Vegetable Mixure
While rice and lentils cook, prepare the vegetable mixture.
2 cups grated zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
½ teaspoon salt
Place zucchini in a fine mesh strainer. Sprinkle with salt and set over a bowl or sink to drain for at least 10 minutes. Press down on the grated zucchini to release excess moisture before using.
2 cups reserved TVP mixture
1 ½ cups grated carrot (about 4 carrots)
⅔ cup peeled, shredded red beet (about 1 large beet)
½ cup sunflower seeds
4 teaspoons tomato paste
4 teaspoons dry mustard
4 tablespoons minced Italian parsley leaves
2 tablespoon dried thyme
1 cup coarse whole-wheat panko (2 cups total; see below)
In a large mixing bowl, combine TVP, zucchini, carrot, beet, sunflower seeds, tomato paste, dry mustard, parsley, thyme, and panko.
1 ½ cups cooked short-grain brown rice
½ cup cooked brown lentils
When they are done cooking, add brown rice and lentils. Mix to combine and set aside.
Purée
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups sliced cremini mushrooms (about 3-5 medium mushrooms)
Heat olive oil in the same frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
6 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
remaining TVP mixture
remaining lentils
1 ½ cup remaining cooked short-grain brown rice
4 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 cup coarse whole-wheat panko
Transfer mushrooms to the bowl of a food processor. Qdd egg, egg white, tamari, pepper, and the remaining salt, TVP, lentils, brown rice, sunflower seeds, and panko. Process until mixture is well combined and uniform, about 30 to 45 seconds. (Note that the mixture will be lumpy.)
Add puréed mushroom mixture to reserved vegetable mixture and combine well (using your hands works best).
Form mixture into 14 to 16 patties (about ¾ cup each) and place them on wax paper.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add two to three patties to the pan and brown on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes; flip burgers and continue cooking until crispy and heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
16 hamburger buns or kaiser rolls, for serving
Repeat with remaining patties and serve on homemade hamburger buns or kaiser rolls with your favorite toppings.
To Freeze Leftover, Uncooked Veggie Burger Patties
For any uncooked patties that you won't use same day, gently wrap with wax paper and place in a zip lock bag. Seal tightly and place in freezer. Patties will be good for up to six weeks or more.
To Reheat and Cook a Frozen, Uncooked Veggie Burger Patty
Remove desired number of veggie burgers from freezer bag. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Flip over and microwave on high until thawed, about 30-45 additional seconds.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add two to three patties to the pan and brown on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes; flip burgers and continue cooking until crispy and heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve on a bun with desired toppings.

From MakeBetterFood.com. Apr 5, 2013. (makebetterfood.com/recipes/ultimate-veggie-burgers/). Adapted from Chow.com.

MakeBetterFood.com

Bring water to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Add rice, butter, and salt. Stir once or twice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer. Cook for 1 hour 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.
Bring water to a boil. Add the lentils. Boil for 2 or 3 minutes and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until tender, about 45 minutes.
TVP can be purchased in the bulk food aisle of Whole Foods and is also available in most supermarkets that stock Bob's Red Mill grains.
In a medium bowl, combine dry TVP with hot water. Stir and set aside until ready to use.
While rice and lentils cook, prepare the vegetable mixture.
Place zucchini in a fine mesh strainer. Sprinkle with salt and set over a bowl or sink to drain for at least 10 minutes. Press down on the grated zucchini to release excess moisture before using.
In a large mixing bowl, combine TVP, zucchini, carrot, beet, sunflower seeds, tomato paste, dry mustard, parsley, thyme, and panko.
When they are done cooking, add brown rice and lentils. Mix to combine and set aside.
Heat olive oil in the same frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Transfer mushrooms to the bowl of a food processor. Qdd egg, egg white, tamari, pepper, and the remaining salt, TVP, lentils, brown rice, sunflower seeds, and panko. Process until mixture is well combined and uniform, about 30 to 45 seconds. (Note that the mixture will be lumpy.)
Add puréed mushroom mixture to reserved vegetable mixture and combine well (using your hands works best).
Form mixture into 14 to 16 patties (about ¾ cup each) and place them on wax paper.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add two to three patties to the pan and brown on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes; flip burgers and continue cooking until crispy and heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
Repeat with remaining patties and serve on homemade hamburger buns or kaiser rolls with your favorite toppings.
For any uncooked patties that you won't use same day, gently wrap with wax paper and place in a zip lock bag. Seal tightly and place in freezer. Patties will be good for up to six weeks or more.
Remove desired number of veggie burgers from freezer bag. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Flip over and microwave on high until thawed, about 30-45 additional seconds.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add two to three patties to the pan and brown on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes; flip burgers and continue cooking until crispy and heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve on a bun with desired toppings.