Fully Loaded Vegan Burger

Hannah Sunderani
May 26, 2017
4 min read

It's 30 degrees outside and I want to sit on a patio stuffing my face with fully loaded burgers and ice cold beer! I'll preface this by saying it isn't the healthiest choice to make for bikini season, but it's definitely the most true.

There is something about that rising heat that makes me ache for bbq's! And I know that I'm not the only one - I swear it's part of our human nature. Although, being plant-based can be a bit of a struggle when it comes to bbq season, with its focus heavily on meats. But I'll preface again by saying that just because we're plant-based doesn't mean we have to miss out on all the fun! In fact, I've been meaning to make a vegan burger for this exact reason. It's been on my to do list to add to the blog since, well, since I began blogging! "Do you have a plant-based burger recipe" is a question I often receive from friends looking to host bbq's, or for Friday night dinners with family. And for a long time I've avoided creating a burger recipe for the occasion. Why? Let's face it - vegan burgers are often time-consuming and require a-million-and-one ingredients! This can be overwhelming to anyone willing to take on the challenge. Heck, I write a plant-based food blog and STILL avoid making them for this exact reason. The plant-based burger almost always require a process of cooking up quinoa, beans, sweet potatoes and the like, then packing them into patties, chilling for a couple hours, and finally cooking them on a skillet where they almost always fall to pieces. BBQ night quickly turned to sloppy joes... And so whenever I'm asked for a vegan burger recipe I'm the first person to change the subject. "What happened to Friday Pizza Night?"

But my yearning to participate in this summer time activity made it inevitable to create a burger recipe to get us through those yearnings. In fact, I had planned to make it just like all the others I've seen filling my Pinterest feed while I lick my lips in jealousy and delight - a glorious mix of beans, quinoa, potato, panko etc. But, leave it to my lazy self to vito them all after spending too much time procrastinating on Pinterest, and 30 minutes away from reaching for a bowl of cereal for dinner.

Say hello to this quick miracle of an outcome. The fully loaded vegan burger, made with a bbq tofu base is just what the barbecuer ordered! This burger is not only out-of-this world delicious it's SO easy to prepare. And let's face it - this is exactly what we want on a hot summer day when the heat is soaring and we're in good company. I swear, you can't find a recipe that's more simple or tastier than this. Mitch and I were both in awe, crediting the burgers to something you'd find at an underground hipster burger joint. Hands down, its one of the best veggie burger's we've ever had.

Wanna know just how simple it is to make? Simply cut firm organic tofu into rectangular patties, I was able to get 4 thin patties out of my 200g rectangular block. You might prefer to get two or three patties, depending on how thick you like it. Sprinkle the tofu with some paprika and cumin, then fry in a pan with a little sesame oil to toast both sides. Next, paint with bbq sauce and viola - you've got a delicious vegan pattie that's just waiting to be dressed. Place it on a bun and load with all the bells and whistles; here I used vegan mayo, sliced avocado, sweet potato, cooked beetroot, sauerkraut, cilantro, and salt and pepper. Holy Hannah! It was a dream! I literally haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished the last glorious bite!

I promise you this Fully Loaded Vegan Burger will be a game-changer for this summer's bbq with friends. It's dead easy to prepare, totally drool worthy, and most definitely the best competitor to its meat-based brother I've tried so far.

Now, it's 5 p.m. on a Friday night, so I'll leave this blog post at that. If you need me you know where I'll be. ;)

Fully Loaded Vegan Burger

Serves: 2 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1 tbsp sesame oil, plus more if needed
salt and pepper
1 (200g) package tofu
1 tbsp more sesame oil, plus more if needed
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
2-3 tbsp barbecue sauce, plus more if desired
2 burger buns
vegan mayo, to taste
1 avocado, chopped
1 cooked beat, chopped
sauerkraut, to taste
cilantro, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Chop sweet potato into bite sized pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with sesame oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again. Line a baking tray with tin foil and add sweet potatoes to tray ensuring they're evenly spread. Place in oven to bake for 25 minutes, then remove from oven, gently rotate sweet potatoes to cook other side, and place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Remove tofu from packaging and slice horizontally into 4 thin rectangular patties. (If you like your patties fatter you can cut them into 2 slices instead of 4). Sprinkle each side with paprika and cumin. Bring skillet to medium high-heat and add sesame oil, then pan fry each side of the tofu patties for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove patties from heat and paint each side with bbq sauce.
Next create your burger: Add vegan mayo to the burger buns, 1 or 2 tofu patties, sliced avocado, baked sweet potatoes, chopped beetroot, sauerkraut and cilantro. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Approvals: