Looking for something delicious and unprocessed to grill this weekend? This burger is for you.
Vegan and gluten-free; antioxidant and protein-packed goodness! We’ve made a few variations of vegan burgers over the years and finally came up with a version with the right consistency that we adore. These burgers are colorful, fresh, and savory. The perfect healthy option for summer gatherings and grilling. Kids love them too.
Many vegan burgers fall apart because they don’t use eggs. We use chia seeds as our egg replacement and they work brilliantly. We are huge fans of chia seeds, which are packed with antioxidants, fiber, protein, and great for hydration.
Beets have a high concentration of vitamins, minerals, and organic compounds like carotenoids, dietary fiber, vitamin C, B vitamin folate, magnesium, iron, and copper, just to name a few.
Beets help boost the immune system and energy levels, reduce cholesterol, help prevent cardiovascular disease, stimulate liver functions (detoxing!), and counteracts certain cancerous cell growths through its unique pigment agents. They boast such a wide range of health benefits, so eat up!
These burgers are also protein-packed with non-gmo organic tofu and pepita, sunflower, and chia seeds. We also tossed in carrots for more of a nutritional bang. You can experiment with any combination of vegetables. We love adding peas too.
RECIPE
Beet, Tofu, and Basil Burgers
Makes 7-9 burgers, depending on the size
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cooked beets (we used Love Beets organic precooked beets to save time)
- 1/2 cup of carrots (or any other vegetable of your choice)
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup raw pepitas
- 1/4 cup salted raw sunflower seeds
- 6 ounces firm tofu (we used organic, non-gmo, pre-baked, and ready-to-eat Soy Boy tofu, or you can bake your own in a flavoring of your choice)
- 3 teaspoons chia seeds plus 4 tablespoons of water
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 handfuls of chopped fresh basil (use any herb(s) you have)
- Dash of cayenne pepper to your liking
- Himalayan Sea salt to your liking
- Lemon pepper to your liking
DIRECTIONS
Mix chia seeds and water and let stand (approximately 5 minutes or more) while preparing the below.
Place cooked beets, carrots, onion, and garlic in blender and blend/pulse until chunky (you don’t want it to be smooth). Add mixture to a large mixing bowl. Then add tofu to blender and blend until chunky (just a few seconds). Add to chopped mixture.
Add olive oil, chia mixture, seeds, rolled oats, and remaining ingredients to the large mixing bowl and mix everything well.
Set aside for about 30 minutes, so the oats can soak up the liquid. This, plus the chia seed trick, is what holds your burgers together! If the mixture is still loose, add more oats.
Roll mixture with your hands to form balls. Grill the burgers for a few minutes on either side or pan-fry them in coconut oil and flip. They should be golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Topping Options
There are so many garnish options for these burgers. We enjoyed playing with colors and eating them with yellow heirloom tomatoes, beautiful arugula microgreens, and purple onions (any type of onion works, we always opt for color). The burgers are also great with cabbage, avocado, sauerkraut, and kimchi. Add more Himalayan Sea salt to your liking and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Try serving on whole-grain or grilled sourdough bread, in a lettuce wrap, or over a salad. Make a batch and enjoy them all week in different ways.
For dressing possibilities, consider ketchup, dijon mustard, yogurt/mint, or cashew “cheese.”
Thank you Green Kitchen Story for the inspiration. Eat, enjoy, and embody wellness!
Christine Beal Dunst and Stephanie Rapp are the co-founders of Embody Wellness Company, specializing in creating customizable holistic wellness and nutrition programs targeted at life’s most important milestones: marriage, children, and career. For more information, visit EmbodyWellnessCompany.com
