Black Sesame and Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Did I mention that I love veggie burgers?  Well I do.  I have been in a creativity slump when it comes to cooking for the past few days.  Its probably because we are moving in JUST 2 WEEKS and so I feel unsettled.  Which is weird.  But something about uprooting your family, your kitchen, your stuff, your home... its enough to throw me off my routine. 

I did, however, have enough creative juices to come up with this bad boy - black sesame and ginger veggie burgers.  They are Asian-inspired and packed with flavour.  Hopefully this kick-starts my creativity or it's toast with hummus for the next two weeks!

Black Sesame and Ginger Veggie Burgers
Makes 4

1/2 c red quinoa, uncooked, rinsed and drained
1/2 block of extra firm tofu
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp warm water, let stand 5 min)
1/2 yellow onion, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp rough chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp miso paste
1 tsp sracha
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp nama shoyu (soy sauce)
2 tbsp vegetarian hoisin sauce
1/4 c black sesame seeds
1/2 - 3/4 c panko bread crumbs

4 burger buns
condiments for burgers


Cook quinoa in small saucepan with 1c water.  Bring to a boil uncovered, then reduce to a simmer and cover for 10 min.

Meanwhile, rinse and pat dry tofu, and crumble into the bowl of your food processor.  Add flax egg, onion, garlic, ginger, miso paste, sracha, dijon, soy sauce and hoisin sauce.  Puree until smooth.

Transfer tofu mixture into a medium mixing bowl and stir in sesame seeds and cooked quinoa.  Add bread crumbs slowly, stirring, until mixture holds together but isn't too mushy.  You should be able to roll it into a ball and it still holds its shape.

Roll into 4 equal balls and flatten into patties.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before grilling.

Grill on an indoor electric grill that has been sprayed with non-stick spray for 10 minutes.  Transfer to burger buns and top with fixings of your choice. Pin It Now!

Recipe: "I-Can't-Believe-They're-Not-Eggs!" Tofu Scramble

Before I went vegan, huevos rancheros was one of my weekend breakfast staples.  I had to find a quick and easy egg-less replacement.  With some experimenting and tweaking I came to this recipe, which will wow vegans and non-vegans alike.  This recipe has become even more amazing since I discovered soyrizo (meatless chorizo) a few months ago.

First, gather your ingredients.  You will need extra firm tofu.  To give the tofu a slightly yellow "eggy" colour, you'll need turmeric.  Its funny how the appearance of food does so much to our overall experience.  The slightly yellow colour from the turmeric makes the scramble taste so much more like eggs.  It really does.  Cumin, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper provide for the seasoning, and nutritional yeast gives the "umami" flavour that is missing from meatless and meat-product-less dishes.  Its also very good for you.  

You can use whatever "omelet"-type veggies you have.  I used onion and yellow pepper, but I also like to throw in a few handfuls of spinach and chopped tomato when I have them on hand.

I always press my tofu first to remove some of the liquid.  First, remove your tofu from the packaging and rinse it.  Pat it dry and wrap it in a clean dish towel. Place it between two plates and put something heavy on the top plate to press down on it, forcing some of the liquid out.  I start with this step while I prep the rest of my ingredients.  Don't worry if your tofu is still a bit moist, it will dry out further when start cooking it.

Chop your onion and peppers.  I like a fairly small dice so that the veggies are spread evenly in your scramble.  Remove your soyrizo from the casing (FYI the casing is inedible) into 1/4 inch rounds, or crumble.

Spray your frying pan with non-stick spray, and crumble your pressed tofu into the pan over medium heat.  Fry for approx 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up the tofu into smaller pieces as it cooks.  This step gets rid of remaining tofu liquid, and breaks down the tofu into scrambled egg like pieces.

Add the cumin, turmeric, dijon mustard (I mix it with about a teaspoon of water to thin it out so it spreads better), and nutritional yeast.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook for a minute or two, stirring to coat the tofu.

Add your onions, peppers and soyrizo and fry for a few more minutes until the veggies begin to soften.  Scoop into tortillas.  Top with salsa, roll into wraps and enjoy!

Tofu Scramble
Makes 2 large wraps or 4 small wraps

1/2 block of extra firm tofu
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup bell peppers, diced
1 link of soyrizo, crumbled or sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
2 large or 4 small tortilla wraps
salsa (for serving)

Press tofu for 5-10 minutes by wrapping in dish towel, putting between 2 dishes and placing weight on top dish.  Once tofu is pressed, crumble into frying pan over medium heat.  Cook for 5 minutes, breaking up with egg flipper or the back of a spoon into smaller "scrambled-egg-sized" pieces.  Add turmeric and cumin.  Mix dijon mustard in small bowl with 1-2 teaspoons of water to thin it out, then pour over the tofu and mix well.  Sprinkle nutritional yeast over tofu and stir.  Cook for a minute or two, ensuring that you coat the tofu with the seasonings.
Add veggies and soyrizo and cook for another 3-4 minutes until veggies begin to soften.
Divide between tortillas, top with salsa and serve.

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