Mushroom & Walnut Beef Burger

Ahh vegan burgers. What an interesting world it is. There are the veggie burgers, full of chickpeas, lentils and black beans, as well as the faux-meat burgers, full of…. wait a minute…what are they actually full of?? Well this my friends, is the completely faux-meat free vegan “beef” burger that tastes a lot like…ahh…beef?? Oh you’re too good. Seasoned with herbs and spices, this burger comes together through the brilliance of mushrooms and walnuts. The walnuts you cannot taste in the finished product, but what they do add is a textural quality that is very close the original. This recipe has seriously been tested time and time again on meat-eaters, so I assure you it passes the test. Hence why it’s sitting in the “Best-Ever” Honeybunch hall of fame. Woo!!

Ingredients

  • 2 small onions, sliced
  • 10 button mushrooms, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¾ cup raw walnuts
  • ¾ cup wholemeal flour
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax whisked with 3 tbsp water)
  • 2 tbsp mixed herbs
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp mustard powder
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder/flakes
  • 2 tsp tamari (or soy sauce)
  • salt and pepper
  • coconut oil
  • burger buns and toppings (e.g. tomato, avocado, vegan mayo, pickles, onions, vegan cheese, ketchup)

Method

  1. In a fry-pan, water sauté the onions, mushrooms and garlic until soft and translucent.
  2. In a food processor, combine the mushroom/onion mixture with the rest of the ingredients (minus the coconut oil and burger buns and toppings) until smooth. It should resemble sausage mince (sorry for the non-vegan analogy).
  3. Clean your fry-pan and place back on the heat, melting a little coconut oil in it. Spread the oil around to evenly cover the pan. Wet your hands (to prevent the mixture from sticking) and take a spoonful of mixture (amount depends of your desired size of the patty) and roll into a circle, pressing down to create a burger. Place in the heated pan and repeat with the remaining mixture.
  4. Don’t fuss with the burgers, only touch once – that is when you flip them over. If you are wanting to create a “cheese burger”, now is a good time to place a vegan cheese slice on the burger to let it melt a little.
  5. To serve, toast your buns and build up your burger. These last well in the fridge (if they last that long), and reheat well too. Enjoy!

*VIDEO FOUND HERE