Tofu Vegetable Burgers

In an effort to eat healthy and take care of my body, I am looking for ways to incorporate more plant-based protein into my diet. My diet includes some meat but I would not consider myself a carnivore. I call myself a balanced eater…some meals are vegan, some vegetarian, and some contain meat…but none contain Gluten. I experiment with recipes to make them Gluten Free but also look to see how tried-and-true meals can be modified to be vegetarian or vegan. Since a hamburger is an All-American favorite, people have been experimenting with Turkey Burgers, Veggie Burgers, and Tofu Burgers for years. I combined tofu and vegetables to create a tofu vegetable burger. The option to make this recipe different every time you make it had made it a “go-to” dish for me. The burgers never get old as I can change out the vegetables and/or flavor each time! The keys are FRESH ingredients and DRAINING the extra-firm tofu. Enjoy this YogaLean Recipe!

Ingredients:
1/2 Package extra firm tofu, drained (I use Non-GMO)
2 Cups of diced vegetables … steamed to el dente. I used carrots, onion, garlic, broccoli greens, and cauliflower greens.
2 Eggs
1 Cup Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour)Ian’s Gluten Free Original Panko Bread Crumbs (to coat outside of patty)
Oil to cook patty in pan
Flavoring – I used 1/4 cup Cajun Spice mix from McCormick.
*** There are endless variations…use the vegetable combination you prefer and the flavor profile you wish.***

Instructions:
• Start by draining tofu and placing in a kitchen towel between 2 plates.
• Rinse and dice vegetables into uniform size. Steam vegetables until el dente. Let cool then put vegetables in a VitaMix or blender and give a rough chop. Add tofu and chop again to begin to incorporate ingredients.
• Transfer burger starter from VitaMIx or blender to a mixing bowl. Add eggs, Gluten Free flour, and flavoring.
• Chill mixture for at least two hours (or make in the AM and refrigerate to cook in the PM or refrigerate overnight).
• Make burgers into the size patty you desire and coat in Ian’s Gluten Free Original Panko Bread Crumbs.
• Add oil to a pan and cook burgers. They should take about 5 minutes per side.

Serve:
On a bun with options of: greens, roasted bell pepper, Ketchup and Mustard, Cheese, hummus, or sriracha.