Over the last few years I have mined and experimented vegan burger recipes to make a burger that has the mouth-feel I wanted. My other requirement was I did not want to use TVP, or seitan (vital wheat gluten).

I realized today that I can make a burger patty out of almost anything I have in the pantry and fridge. For me, I just need beans, mushrooms, veggies, tofu, a binder, and tasty seasonings. This is the list from which I choose. I don’t always use all those in the list at the same time. The patties pictured are made from black beans,  shitake mushrooms, onions, garlic, yellow bell pepper, hot sauce, chia seed egg (binder), Panko bread crumbs, tamari and vegan liquid smoke. Normally I add avocado for the fat content but I forgot it. 😆. I baked them at 350 degrees until the smell and appearance looked cooked. I flipped them to cook on the other side for a few minutes. I also discovered if when I eat them the next day the mouth-feel is what i’m wanting. This realization has given me freedom. I can use leftover veggies so nothing goes to waste. I can make veggie patties with what I have in the kitchen as long as I remember the 🥑.

This is a lot like how my grandmothers, great-grandmother and grand-aunts cooked. They could make a feast out of whatever was in the kitchen. I guess that’s why I didn’t know we were technically poor. Always ate well.