Vegan, 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 that we adore with the right consistency. They are colorful, fresh and savory. 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 it worked brilliantly. We are huge fans of chia seeds. They 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 it’s unique pigment agents. They boast such a wide range of health benefits! 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 you any combination of vegetables. We love adding peas too. Experiment!

There are so many options to garnish these burgers. We enjoyed playing with colors and eating them with yellow heirloom tomatoes, purple onions and beautiful arugula microgreens. Or serve on wholegrain or grilled sourdough bread, in a lettuce wrap, or over a salad. Make a batch, and enjoy them all week in different ways.

Recipe:

(makes 7-9 burgers, depending on the size):

*use organic when possible

6 cooked beets (we used “Love Beets” Organic pre-cooked beets to save time)
½ cup of carrots (or any other vegetable of your choice)

1.5 cups of gluten free oats
1 medium sized onion

2 cloves garlic
¼ cup raw pepitas

¼ cup of salted raw sunflower seeds

6 oz. of firm tofu (we used organic, non-gmo pre-baked and ready to eat “Soy Boy” tofu or you can bake your own in whatever flavoring of your choice)

3 tsp of chia seeds + 4 tbsp of water

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 handfuls of chopped fresh basil (use any herb(s) you have)

Dash of cayenne pepper to your liking
Himalyian Sea Salt to your liking

Lemon Pepper to your liking

Toppings–Options, Options!
Heirloom Tomatoes, Microgreens, Lettuce or Cabbage, Avocado, Purple onions (Any type of onion work. I always opt for color!), Sauerkraut/kimchee, More Himalyian Sea Salt to your liking and a drizzle of EVOO

Dressing–Many Possibilities!

Ketchup, Dijon Mustard, Yogurt/mint, Cashew “cheese”

Mix Chia seeds and water and let stand (approximately 5 minutes or more) while preparing the below.

Place cooked beets, carrots, onion, garlic in blender and blend/pulse until chucky (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 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.

Use whatever toppings and dressings inspire you! See some ideas above. Or, serve on wholegrain or grilled sourdough bread, in a lettuce wrap, or over a salad.

Let us know what you think! Thank you Green Kitchen Story for the inspiration.

Eat, enjoy and EMBODY Wellness.

With gratitude,

Christine & Stephanie