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HOMEMADE VEGGIE BURGER

Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Grilling
by Don Mauer

Serves: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 11 to 12 minutes
Serving size: 1 hamburger
 

Ingredients

• 1 TB. vegetable oil, plus additional for brushing on burgers and grill
• 1/2 cup diced yellow (not sweet) onion
• 2 cups (or 1 15-oz.] can) cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion, white and green parts
• 1½ tsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1½ tsp. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled or 1 TB. fresh oregano leaves, chopped fine
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
• 6 whole grain, whole-wheat hamburger buns
• Ketchup
• Yellow mustard
• Sweet relish
• Bottled horseradish
• Lettuce
• Ripe tomato slices
 

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer onion to a large mixing bowl.

2. To onion, add black beans, Monterey Jack cheese, rice, breadcrumbs, green onion, tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, cumin, and pepper. Mix well, mashing beans with a fork (or a potato masher, if you have one).

3. Working with clean hands or a burger press, mold burgers into 6 patties. Cover and chill.

4. Fire up the grill:
For a charcoal grill: Open the bottom vents. Ignite 6 quarts or 2 1/2 pounds charcoal briquettes or hardwood charcoal. When the coals are hot, set up for a one-level medium-heat fire (so you can hold your hand 5 inches above the cooking rack for only 4 to 5 seconds).
For a gas grill: Turn each burner to high and ignite. Cover the grill. When hot, set the burners to medium heat.

5. Brush tops of burgers with oil.
On a charcoal grill: Brush the grill rack with oil. Grill burgers, oiled side down, uncovered, 4 minutes. Brush tops of burgers with oil, turn burgers, and grill 4 more minutes or until golden.
On a gas grill: Brush the grill rack with oil. Grill burgers, oiled side down, uncovered, 4 or 5 minutes. Brush tops of burgers with oil, turn burgers, and grill 4 or 5 more minutes or until golden.

6. While burgers grill, toast cut sides of buns on grill for about 3 or 4 minutes. Place burgers on bottom of buns and serve, passing ketchup, mustard, relish, horseradish, lettuce and tomato slices.

Variation: For an extra flavor kick, substitute an equal amount of shredded processed cheddar or processed Swiss cheese for the Monterey Jack cheese.

Notes: It your veggie burgers don't stick together well, mix in 2 tablespoons water and try to form another patty These burgers stay formed better if they're refrigerated, covered, for at least 30 minutes before they head to the grill.