Tofu-Sausage Patties

Here is another successful recipe for The Patty.  My family and I really liked my Tofu Quinoa Patties , and it really encouraged me to keep trying my hand at variations. This one was also well-received by the fam; little JK had three! This one's base is also tofu, and I'm happy with the texture and taste.  The center, like the ones with quinoa, is still somewhat soft, but it actually doesn't detract from the end result.  I tried different methods of preparing these particular patties and ended up liking the final method the best, even though it might seem redundant or time-consuming.  The final patty is worth the process.  Eventually, I'd like to try my hand at patties with bases other than tofu, although these patties and the quinoa ones hold up really well and could be eaten as a burger with the bun.  I'll let you know when I have another patty worthy of showing you. 

Tofu-Sausage Patties

Ingredients:

3 leeks, the whites chopped small
1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped small
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 pkgs. 14-16oz. water-packed tofu, drained
1/2 cup cracker crumbs, either already boxed or grind your favorite
1 Gimme Lean Sausage tube
Canola oil for frying
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray, and set aside.  In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the leeks and garlic and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, or until they begin to brown.   While those are cooking, mash the tofu in a large bowl.  Add the cracker crumbs and mash together, using your hands if necessary.  Do the same with the Gimme Lean sausage.  To the pan with the leeks and garlic, add the salt and pepper, and stir.  When ready, add those ingredients to the bowl with the tofu mixture and mix well.  Add a tablespoon or so of canola oil to the same pan, and keep heat on medium.  Shape the tofu mixture into balls slightly smaller than the size of a tennis ball - these are big patties!  Flatten them slightly in your palm and lay them in the pan.  Cook on one side for ten minutes without disturbing, then flip over and cook for another ten minutes. Add more oil to the pan, if you are doing these in batches. Place patties on baking sheet, and bake for twenty minutes, flipping halfway through. So good. Makes ten patties.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Sauteed Mushroom-Topped Burgers

Hah, I guess we're traveling through Burgerville.  If you'd like to join the trip, then All Aboard!  Right after enjoying our delicious Chili Cheese Burgers , I whipped up a batch of my Sauteed Mushroom-Topped Burgers, another easy recipe.  I'm into easy these days, I guess.  I like to keep the condiments simple on this one, so as not to compete with one of my favorite things to eat: the beloved mushroom.  Served with a side of veggies, it makes for a complete meal. Enjoy!

Sauteed Mushroom-Topped Burgers

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
12 - 14 button mushrooms, halved and sliced
1 tsp. dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil for frying
3 pkgs. of vegan Boca Burgers - enough for seconds and/or leftovers 
1 red onion, sliced into rings
Vegenaise
Mustard - I love me some plain yellow here
Favorite burger buns

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat.  When heated, add the mushrooms.  Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, before adding the seasonings.  Let them reduce a bit first.  After adding the seasoning, cook for another few minutes, until they are tender and you can't resist them anymore.  In the meantime, heat the canola oil in large pan over medium heat.  When hot, add enough burgers to make a layer in the pan.  Cook for three to five minutes, then flip, and continue with another three to five minutes, until they have browned.  Finish with the rest of the burgers.   Spread your Vegenaise and mustard on the buns.  Add a burger, some onion slices and a couple of spoonfuls of your shroomies.  Top with the other bun half.  Open wide and bite.  So good!  Serve with a side of veggies.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Chili Cheese Burgers

This meal follows shortly after my Chili Cheese Dogs and is even easier to make than the dogs were!  I'm not going to apologize for using shortcuts.  Feeding a family on a regular basis, homeschooling my children, and keeping busy in so many other countless ways justifies me in taking a break every now and then in food preparation.  This is a kid-friendly meal, and we all gobbled them up.  Treat yourself to a break too, and make these soon.  :-)

Chili Cheese Burgers

Ingredients:

Vegan Boca burgers - enough to feed your family.  I use three boxes: enough for seconds for some and leftovers.
Canola oil for frying
1- 29 oz. can vegan chili beans or 2 - 15 oz. cans
Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese, cheddar style, sliced somewhat thinly
Your favorite burger buns

Directions:

Heat a couple of tablespoons of the oil in large pan that has a lid over medium heat.  (Don't put the lid on, yet.)  When hot, add four to six burgers, however much your pan can hold in single layer.  Brown on one side, three to five minutes.  Flip burgers over and add the slices of cheese to the top of each burger.  Add the lid to the pan and cook until the cheese melts, another couple of minutes.  In the meantime, heat the can of beans in a medium pot over medium heat.  When the burgers are done, place them on the bottom half of a burger bun, scoop a spoonful of chili beans over the top, and add the top of the bun.  Finish with the rest of the burgers.  Serve with a side of veggies for a complete meal.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Burgers with Smoky Tempeh Strips

I'm going to start out saying that I'm adjusting our daily food slightly by incorporating what's called the Feingold Diet. It basically removes petroleum-based preservatives, all artificial colorings and flavorings, and some natural flavorings, that are preservatives in disguise, from our food. It's a program I purchased after meeting a couple of women who have children struggling in certain ways that mine do. To protect my children's privacy, I'm not going to go into detail here of what we are working on, but I'm hoping that by removing some of the more harmful ingredients from our diet, it will help my beautiful blessings. The Feingold Diet by itself is not vegan, but I am only purchasing food that is vegan, so our food will actually be even more limited that the average person on this food plan. But, that's okay. What I won't do for my own health, I will cross over oceans and knock down mountains for the health of my children. Today was the first day that I began incorporating some of the food from their huge food list. It's a very slow process and reminds me of when I first became vegetarian and then vegan and how slowly shopping seemed to go in the beginning. I know that as I mark up my food list, shopping will go faster over time. So, over the next few weeks, you'll see things that we are using up that are not on the food plan, while I will be purchasing the new things on the plan. If this works and is helpful, this will be long-term, but the variety of food is great, and I should be still putting out tasty food. Hopefully, you'll stick around to see what I come up with.

Tonight's dish was originally going to be burgers with Smart Bacon, what we call facon in our home. It was going to be a kind of "facon burger," if you will. But, the "facon" isn't on the diet plan, so I came up with Smokey Tempeh Strips. I only told GR that I was subbing tempeh for facon because I knew everyone else would compare the two tastes, and I didn't want that. Everyone seemed to like them, except for SR, who wouldn't try them due to her past distaste of tempeh. Too bad. JK had seconds, and the whole dish was gone by the end of the meal. So, I guess it passed. The burgers we already had on hand and are not on the diet, so it's a half and half meal. Check it out.

Open-faced shot of Burgers with Smokey Tempeh StripsBurgers with Smokey Tempeh Strips

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 - 8 oz. pkg. LightLife Organic Tempeh, Soy style
5 to 7 drops of Liquid Smoke
2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. canola oil
Your favorite veggie burgers (we used the extra large Boca Burgers from Costco)
Your favorite burger condiments
Your favorite burger buns

Directions:

Slice the tempeh into thin strips width-wise. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat, and add the tempeh. In a small bowl, whisk together the Liquid Smoke, yellow mustard and soy sauce. With a glazing brush, brush some of the sauce over the tempeh strips. Cook for two to three minutes. Take tongs or a small spatula, and gently flip the tempeh strips over. Brush the remaining sauce over the strips. Cook for another two to three minutes. Flip one last time to sear in the top sauce and put in a serving dish. Meanwhile, in a griddle, heat the canola oil over medium heat and cook the burgers on both sides until done. Fix your burgers the way you like them with the tempeh strips on top. They actually came out pretty tasty, and I'll definitely be doing this recipe again. Serve with steamed veggies. Feeds five hungry vegans.