New York Times Veggie Burger Healthy Recipe

I have been searching for the ultimate veggie burger recipe. My goal is to have vegetarian burgers that I can keep in my freezer and pop out for a last minute meal. Sounds reasonable. But, along the way I’ve had many disasters. Usually the burgers just don’t hold together or are more work than they are worth.

To my delight, I found a Veggie Burger recipe on the Engine 2 Diet website. The Engine 2 Diet Website (and Cookbook) is written by Rip Esselstyn, firefighter and professional triathlete. Rip implemented his plant-based diet as a result of learning several of his firefighter colleagues had dangerously elevated cholesterol levels. By following Rip’s program, everyone lost weight, lowered their cholesterol and improved their health!

As the name suggest, this recipe is credited to The New York Times, which prints some delicious recipes. The Sweet Potato, Corn and Jalapeño Bisque recipe I recently posted, is from The Times, which is quite a savory dish.
I really should call this a Vegetarian Burger, not a Veggie Burger. When I think of Veggie Burger, an image of many veggies puréed together comes to mind. This burger is essentially black beans, canned tomatoes and chopped carrots so in my book it is not a true Veggie Burger. Oatmeal holds it together (I made some changes with the type of oatmeal which I included in the recipe). Regardless, it was tasty, easy and I was able to freeze 5 extra patties for a quick meal.

New York Times Veggie (Vegetarian Burgers)
INGREDIENTS
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with zesty mild chilies, drained
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 green onions, chopped (I used ½ chopped Vidalia onion)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup parsley or cilantro (I used ½ cup loosely packed cilantro)
2 cups quick rolled oats (**I used rolled oats, more specifically Bob’s Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats Whole Grain, not Quick. Quick is more processed so I’d rather have regular Rolled Oats. I included baking directions if you choose to use the Rolled Oats)
8 whole grain buns
Fresh veggie toppings and healthy condiments

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450º. Process the first seven ingredients using an immersion or a regular blender or food processor. Remove contents into a large bowl and stir in the oats. Form into patties (*I made patties flat so they would cook more evenly), place on a sprayed baking sheet, and bake for 8 minutes (**if you did not use Quick Oats, bake for 16 minutes). Turn oven up to broil and cook for 2-3 more minutes, until the tops are nicely browned. Toast the buns and pile on your favorite toppings.
Variation:
Sauté the burgers on medium heat in a sprayed nonstick skillet for 5 minutes on each side, until both sides are browned.

Tagged as: Vegetable Burgers, Vegetarian