Veggie burgers that stand up to the grill?

Wondering if anyone has a tasty and foolproof veggie burger recipe that doesn't fall apart on the grill. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool omnivore, but have many vegetarian friends I like to invite over this time of year. Alas, the grilled portobellos are getting old.

(If your recipe avoids eggs, all the better, as a couple of vegan friends have joined the ranks). Thanks.

Can't help you with specifically a veggie burger (mine needs frying,) but what about grilled eggplant as an alternative to portobellos?

tofu also lends itself very well to the grill, and also marries well with most of the same marinades one might be using with grilled meats. Here's a recipe I like a lot:

- Extra firm tofu, sliced into 1" thick, bun-sized pieces, drained thoroughly of excess moisture.
- fresh squeezed orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, and cumin, proportions to taste.

Marinate drained tofu pieces in other ingredients for 45 minutes. Remove and pat dry. Grill over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. Serve on a toasted bun. I like to top this with some shredded cabbage lightly dressed with lemon, honey, sesame oil and cilantro.

I don't have it handy, but Cook's Illustrated had a good veggie burger recipe last year maybe? Also Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" has several tasty-sounding recipes. I haven't tried them yet, but hope to soon.

Are you looking for something vegan? If not, a patty of grilling cheese might make a really interesting sandwich...

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... ISE-242594

My daughter and I tried these. Very nice.

Kennyz wrote:- fresh squeezed orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, and cumin, proportions to taste.

When you make it are you using roughly equal proportions of orange juice, lemon juice and soy or does something predominate?

LAZ wrote:

Kennyz wrote:- fresh squeezed orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, and cumin, proportions to taste.

When you make it are you using roughly equal proportions of orange juice, lemon juice and soy or does something predominate?

not really sure, as all I do is taste as I go along. If I had to guess, I'd say 3:2:2 orange, lemon, soy

Hi,

There is a meeting where I am buying the hamburgers, hot dogs and a vegetarian option for a grill party.

In the past, I have been buying the Morningstar vegetarian burgers (or at least I think that is the manufacturer). All was well until a vegan attended two years ago. I was pleased believing I had covered all circumstances, but the vegan read the label and rejected the product. I reread the label trying to understand what the issue may be. It turns out she is a vegan who will not eat gluten.

Is there something from the store freezer for the vegan who will not eat gluten to recommend?

Most of the time I am inclined to make something myself, but the get up and go has gotten up and gone. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Regards,
Cathy2

Beyond Burger sold @Mariano's ,
and at Whole Foods/Amazon (when they aren't sold-out!)
is an amazing Plant-Based
Burger- that looks- like a "meat burger", and grills up,
to taste like an amazing Burger.
I cooked some recently- served on a Pretzel bun with sliced Garden Tomatoes,
and Dijon-Mustard that way exceeded my expectations.
The plant base is "peas".
A package of 2- sell for $4.99, and are displayed in The Meat Case- not,
the frozen section.
http://beyondmeat.com/products/view/beyond-burger

Also- look for The Impossible Burger- not yet sold through Retail-
only via Restaurants- and amazingly at White Castle as as a "slider"- as well....
Food-Scientists, have made some amazing breakthroughs in simulating the taste of Meat,
via Plant-based technology.
https://impossiblefoods.com

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

There is a meeting where I am buying the hamburgers, hot dogs and a vegetarian option for a grill party.

In the past, I have been buying the Morningstar vegetarian burgers (or at least I think that is the manufacturer). All was well until a vegan attended two years ago. I was pleased believing I had covered all circumstances, but the vegan read the label and rejected the product. I reread the label trying to understand what the issue may be. It turns out she is a vegan who will not eat gluten.

Is there something from the store freezer for the vegan who will not eat gluten to recommend?

Most of the time I am inclined to make something myself, but the get up and go has gotten up and gone. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Regards,
Cathy2

They are changing the formulas, I just picked up a different Morningstar product that is now vegan, it was not historically.

My preference is for the Boca Burger original patty. It was vegan. I am uncertain if it is also gluten-free. I have found larger boxes of them at Mariano's. And 4 packs of them at Jewel historically.

If you decide to cook them, I really like the Cook's Illustrated/ATK Ultimate Veggie burger. If my memory is correct it may have panko for a binder. It wasn't much so I would just leave it out if you don't have a slice of gluten- free bread or crackers lying around somewhere (maybe a 100% rye crackers, or perhaps just grind some old fashioned oats as a substitute for bread crumbs in the recipe). Like many CI/ATK recipes it is a bit of a PITA, but the final product is really good. The recipe makes a large number. They freeze super well as patties.

Hellman's makes a great vegan "mayo" and then you can take it with you to the meeting to put on the burgers or dogs. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/memb ... s-50038764

Good Luck, and your willingness to do this is super thoughtful because as a long-time vegetarian I find the gluten restricters who also eschew dairy to be the hardest to accommodate, although I have done it for guests at my home without making different things for everyone. And inevitably they eat the frakking gluten and dairy, obviously these folks were not deathly allergic but I try to accommodate what I am told.--YMMV

Hi,

This person has since gone to Heaven, but what a PIA. He would make a big deal about vegan burgers, but when we ran out he was eating COW. He repeated this every year, so the shock value went away.

This person who would not eat gluten ate carrot sticks and hummus instead.

I do grill the vegan/veg stuff first, then move onto the meat.

Regards,
Cathy2

Why not cook up some carrots and serve them in gluten-free hot dog buns? This is not a joke (at least to some people).

Carrot Hot Dog Recipe from PETA.org

It seems carrot dogs really are a thing: A Gallery of Carrot Hot Dogs.

Rene G wrote:Why not cook up some carrots and serve them in gluten-free hot dog buns? This is not a joke (at least to some people).
It seems carrot dogs really are a thing: A Gallery of Carrot Hot Dogs.

Full disclosure, I've made these a couple of times this summer. Carrots right on the grill until they are blackened all the way around. Take them off and put them in a paper bag, as you would with a roasted pepper. Wait about 10-15 minutes, remove and scrape off the char. Serve on a hot dog bun with your favorite condiments. I actually thought they tasted pretty good. Way better than any other vegan/vegetarian hot dog I've ever had. That said, my kids were not huge fans.

I can't tell you if they are vegan but I also am a fan of the original Boca burger.

Gotta say- "Bocca Burgers"- are a 2000's answer to "not-a-beef-burger"- while the "Beyond" Burger is the 2018 Happy-Dance version of-OMG- I can't believe- it's
NOT Meat- answer.

Having recently (06 June-2018) switched to a Plant-Based approach to eating,
I immediately started a journey- that became a search- for things "like meat"-
from Seitan/KIMCHI tacos at Upton's Natural on Grand Ave.,
to a "Chicken" sandwich at K'Lish on Wilson Ave in Buena Park that is
"just-like-a-Fried-Chicken-Sandwich"- amazing food alternatives are out there today, that hadn't been thunk-of- 10-15 years ago.
Kalish- 1313 West Wilson Avenue.,Chicago,IL by R. Kramer, on Flickr

My point being - the way a Beyond Burger- looks- tastes- grills and feels- just like a beef burger on the grill- will make a die-hard- Carnivore-say....."maybe- this plant-based-thing"-
aint so bad- "and iffn it'll lower my Cholesterol and improve my health"-
then "it's also-cool, if it's also helping the Environment, by reducing the amount of resources allocated to Big-Ag-Meat-Processing".

Beyond- also sells Italian Sausage I've seen for sale in Mariano's Meat Case in The South Loop store- eager to give them a spin-on-the-Weber-as well!

I have been plant-based for over 20 years and I just don't like Beyond Burgers as much as I like Boca Burgers, so if you asked me which ones to buy for the party I will tell you no sweat get Boca Burgers. If you serve Beyond Burgers, I will say that 's great and eat it.

I also like Impossible Burgers, but as you already noted they aren't available for retail yet. And I think it is weird how expensive they are in comparison to the meat burgers at restaurants but what are you going to do.

Three cheers for lower numbers and making it work for you, well done. YMMV

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

This person has since gone to Heaven, but what a PIA. He would make a big deal about vegan burgers, but when we ran out he was eating COW. He repeated this every year, so the shock value went away.

This person who would not eat gluten ate carrot sticks and hummus instead.

I do grill the vegan/veg stuff first, then move onto the meat.

Regards,
Cathy2

Wait, they died after you posted this?

My comments above were historical, because this person died maybe 10 years ago. His demand of veggie burgers, then later eating his fill of beef burgers was annoying.

I bought Boca burgers in two styles: extra thick classic and vegan (but I did not read the label for gluten). We shall see how this goes over.

Thanks for all the opinions, it does help.

Regards,
Cathy2

I have found the various versions of Veggie Burgers that use TVP or Soy Protein Iolates to be really ...meh. I have never eaten meat in my life, so I don't have anything to compare it to except the taste by itself. I have never found them tasty. Most of the time, when these are done in a restaurant setting, they end up tasting like cardboard.

The only restaurant ones I have liked are where the place makes their own version using veggies and a binder, rather than beans (especially Black beans). The best version I have had is the one at Cleos. (I have not tried Kuma's. I heard good things about it.)

For home cooking I now use one of either the Beyond Beef or more commonly the Vegetarian Masala Burger from Trader Joe. The TJ version is essentially a samosa filling made into a patty. Tasty!! It may not be gluten free (ingredients list bread crumbs), but for my money this is the best Veggie Burger. They also hold up really well while grilling. I usually take this with me when I get invited to cookouts/grilling as I don't want the Host to run around getting stuff only for me. And have never been disappointed!

Hi,

It wasn't exactly easy to identify when a veggie or vegan burger was warmed through or cooked. I had to ask someone to be the royal tester, who advised I was right on the mark.

From watching people select their burger style, when someone accidentally took a vegan burger they quickly exchanged it for veggie. Nobody this year was concerned about gluten.

Again, thank you for all the feedback.

Regards,
Cathy2