How about a veggie burger? - recipes - includes related article

Sunset, Jan, 1994 by Elaine Johnson

WHY WOULD ANYONE eat a veggie burger when you could have a nice juicy hamburger?" pondered a panelist about to dig into the first of 30 meatless burgers.

His task, and that of the other seven Sunset panel members, was to choose the best of the vegetarian burger recipes submitted in response to a query in the magazine's April 1993 Open House feature. The most skeptical of our panelists, the aforementioned meat lover, was determined not to like any of them.

We argued a lot that day. Some tasters agreed with Mr. Skeptic. "These are like a 'Star Trek' Klingon banquet, only there's no Scotty to beam you up," said one.

Others were just as insistently in favor of the veggie burgers. "They're delicious. I could never pick just one," said another panelist.

Some conversations verged on the philosophical: why more people choose not to eat meat these days, whether a burger chock-full of high-fat ingredients like nuts and cheese can be better for you than one of meat--or if you can even call it a burger (veggie "patty" would be more accurate, insisted some).

In the end, the discussion boiled down to just one question: Do they taste good? Even our grumpy tester had to admit, though he wouldn't put it in writing, that these five winning veggie burgers were all delicious.

On page 99, we list the three restaurants that received the greatest number of votes for their veggie burgers from respondents to our query.

City Bakery's Chutney Burgers

Our tasters' favorite veggie burger--and a hit with customers at the City Bakery in Ventura, California--is made with potatoes and has a tart-sweet chutney made from banana, ginger, and dried fruit.

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground ginger

1 cup each coarsely chopped mushrooms and cooked thin-skinned potatoes

1 cup carrots diced in 1/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup soft whole-wheat bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons salad oil

Toasted buns or bread

Ginger-banana chutney (recipe follows)

Lettuce, tomato, white onion slices, and cilantro sprigs

In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in butter, stirring often, until onion is golden, about 8 minutes. Add cumin and ginger; stir for 1 minutes. Add mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, and chopped cilantro; stir often until carrots are tender to bite, about 7 minutes. Add flour and stir for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool slightly then mix in eggs and bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

On plastic wrap, shape vegetable mixture into 4 patties, each 1/3 inch thick. Swirl 1 teaspoon oil in a clean 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Place patties in pan (2 at a time, if needed) and cook until deep golden on bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn, add remaining oil if needed, and brown other side.

Spread buns with chutney and serve burgers with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cilantro sprigs. Makes 4.

Per burger with chutney, without bun: 348 cal. (28 percent from fat); 8.6 g protein; 11 g fat (4.7 g sat.); 59 g carbo; 203 mg sodium; 122 mg chol.

Ginger-banana chutney. In a 1- to 2-quart pan, combine 1/2 cup mashed banana, 1/3 cup chopped onion, 1/3 cup chopped dried dates, 1/3 cup pineapple juice, 1/4 cup dried currants, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons minced pickled ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon curry powder. Simmer mixture, stirring often, until chutney has the consistency of thick jam, about 30 minutes. Use warm or cool. If making chutney ahead, cool, cover, and chill for up to 3 days.

Columbia Bar and Grill's Grain and Cheese Burgers

Tracy McIntosh of Newport Beach led us to these veggie burgers of toasted rice, oats, and cheese. When the burgers were on the menu at the Columbia Bar and Grill in Hollywood, they were a favorite with vegetarian customers.

1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

1/3 cup each shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, or all of 1 kind

3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons low-fat cottage or ricotta cheese

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

Toasted buns or bread

Mayonnaise, red onion rings, and lettuce

In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat, cook mushrooms and green onions in butter, stirring often, until vegetables are limp, about 6 minutes. Add oats and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool slightly, then stir in cooked rice, mozzarella, cheddar, walnuts, cottage cheese, eggs, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.

On an oiled 12- by 15-inch baking sheet, shape into 4 patties, each 1/2 inch thick. Broil 3 inches from heat until deep golden, turning once, 6 to 7 minutes total. Serve on bread with mayonnaise, onion, and lettuce. Makes 4.

Per burger without bun: 248 cal. (54 percent from fat); 12 g protein; 15 g fat (6.3 g sat.); 17 g carbo; 203 mg sodium; 132 mg chol.