Friday, November 2, 2012

Olive Tempeh Burgers


Every now and then I love me a good veggie burger. I'm pretty picky with my burgers, as we all should be. MorningStar makes a pretty good burger, as does Monk's Grill in Tallahassee, FL. Let me rephrase: Monk's Grill makes a killer veggie burger. You have endless cheese, topping, sauce and bread choices, giving you the option to create a different burger every time. It really is perfect.


Because I don't live near Monk's anymore, am sick of mediocre pre made veggie burgers, and have outdone the black bean burger, I decided to try and make a tempeh burger. Yes, it's been done. But not by me. And I have to say...I like, very much. Not only is it a great source of protein (soy protein), but it holds together pretty well...unless you're David and you try to stack two burgers on one bun. 


Olive Tempeh Burgers
(Makes 4)

1 package Organic Soy Tempeh
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped olives, any kind you like - I like kalamata
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

Pulse tempeh in food processor until it reaches crumbly texture.


Mix in remaining ingredients and shape into patties.


Place on medium heat grill and cook each side for about 3-5 minutes.


I topped my burger with spinach, avocado and a little spicy mustard. Mmmm, it was so good. For sides, I threw some zucchini and carrots on the grill to keep it quick and simple. Grilled zucchini is out of this world delicious. You HAVE to try some if you never have. Lastly, some sweet potato fries. Cut up a sweet potato into desired fry shapes, lightly toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 400.


This is DT's double stacked burger slowly falling apart with each bite. He added some mild cheddar, onion, spinach and avocado. I recommend eating one burger at a time, or making your patties bigger if you want more. Nonetheless, he enjoyed it.