25 Gourmet Veggie Burgers

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20130218-DSC_7557-2.jpgBest Black Bean Burgers

It’s funny  – as a kid, I really did not like burgers. And when I became a vegetarian 16 years ago (this week actually!), I disliked veggie burgers with a passion. To be fair though, back then veggie burgers were not what they are today. To me, they were flavourless soy patties that were incredibly difficult to find in the first place. *hah*

Now, you can find a veggie burger at most restaurants and they are all so unique. Stores even carry a wide variety of pre-made veggie burgers that taste great. Nowadays, veggie burgers are loaded with oats, seeds, nuts, vegetables, rice, beans, lentils, spices….etc. They are filled with flavour and have great texture. And the toppings are often as unique and interesting as the burgers themselves.

Now that I’m older (and wiser?), I adore veggie burgers. I love trying different varieties at home and at restaurants. Yesterday, I had a veggie burger at The Grove. The burger was made with chickpeas, beans and walnuts. It was perfectly cripsy on the outside, but moist in the middle. The burger was topped with roasted red peppers, cucumbers, and spicy mayo – all on a roasted garlic bun. Delicious! When I got home from enjoying a nice sunny afternoon on the patio with my wonderful mom, I did some research to see how many unique veggie burger recipes I could find online. There were so many! I’m so inspired and cannot wait to make all of the recipes over the summer. I thought I would share some of my favourite findings with you, as I know many of you love veggie burgers just as much as I do. They  make for a perfect, filling meal – especially during the summer!

20120609-DSC_6442.jpgMexican White Bean Burgers with Avocado Cream (and chili-spiced pepitas)

20120904-DSC_2878-3.jpgButternut Squash Nut Burgers (with roasted garlic aioli)

20120505-DSC_5606.jpgMediterranean Quinoa Burgers (with feta almond pesto + roasted tomatoes)

Bruschetta Pasta Salad

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20130608-DSC_9502-2This past weekend, we finally got to have a picnic! I had been dreaming about having a picnic all winter (and  most of this chilly spring). There’s nothing better than being outside, enjoying some good food and hanging out with wonderful friends. Saturday, we drove an hour outside of the city to meet our good friends Patrick and Stephanie for a picnic dinner. We set up our picnic on a pretty table overlooking the lake. The sky was perfectly clear and the weather was nice & warm. And thankfully, the bugs weren’t too bad. Right, Jesse? :) *hehe* Patrick and Stephanie brought their adorable dogs Sadie & Zoey to the picnic and they provided endless entertainment. So cute! Food-wise, Stephanie brought fresh watermelon, cherries, veggies and dip and delicious Icelandic donuts (kleina) for dessert. I brought mojito fruit salad and this bruschetta pasta salad.

Pasta salad is one of my favourite things to bring to a picnic, mainly because it is so filling and feed lots of people. But pasta salad is also like a blank canvas. You can mix in so many different ingredients and change up the dressings. This salad from Once Upon A Cutting Board is the perfect example of that! Yum! I also love to bring Antipasto Pasta Salad along to summer potlucks, picnics and BBQs.

One of my favourite pasta salads is the Greek Pasta Salad I posted last year. The Greek Pasta salad was the basis for this bruschetta-inspired pasta salad. It’s a delicious blend of fresh tomatoes, basil, a sweet/sour dressing and salty feta cheese. Parmesan cheese is also a nice addition if you don’t have feta cheese on hand. For those of you who don’t like pasta salads, I recommend bringing a Caprese Quinoa Salad to your next picnic. It’s always a hit!

What are your favourite things to bring to a picnic?

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Bruschetta Pasta Salad

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of pasta (bow-ties, rotini, fusili, etc)
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • handful of fresh basil, chopped
  • 3/4 cup of feta cheese or 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Rinse with cold water. Add cherry tomatoes and set aside.
  2. In a small jar, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Shake to combine.
  3. Pour dressing over the pasta. Sprinkle feta on top. Toss well to combine. Gently mix in chopped fresh basil. Allow mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavours to develop.

Notes

Source: The Fig Tree

Marinated Carrot + Halloumi Salad

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20130605-DSC_9436-3A few weeks back, Jesse and I spent 10 days in London, England, celebrating our recent engagement. We had a truly magical time! Lots of laugh, so many neat sights and lots of delicious food! Oh, the food! :) One of the things that really stood out to me in England was how vegetarian + vegan friendly all of the restaurants were. All of the menus had multiple veggie-options. Since I am used to only one or two options per menu, I found deciding on a meal in England really difficult! It was a GREAT problem to have! My biggest conundrum was deciding between asparagus-pea ravioli with mint or sun-dried tomato ricotta cannelloni at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant – Jaime’s Kitchen in Covent Garden. I went with the ravioli…twas a GREAT choice! Yum!

Halloumi seemed to be a very popular ingredient on many of the menus in England. Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened, brined cheese often used in Middle Eastern cuisine. It has a high melting point which makes it great for grilling and pan-frying. It retains its shape nicely and has a wonderful texture. One of my favourite meals in London was the vegetarian fish and chips that I enjoyed at a pub near Trafalgar Square. The “fish” was beer-battered halloumi cheese. It was served with tartar sauce, mushy peas and proper pub-style chips. I was in heaven!

When we got home, I was on a mission to find some halloumi cheese and thankfully found some at our neighbourhood grocery store. Since halloumi cheese is quite rich and relatively salty, I wanted to use it with really fresh, light ingredients. I paired the pan-fried halloumi with fresh spring greens with orange-cumin marinated sliced carrots. The citrus in the dressing cut the richness of the cheese. And the sweetness of the honey paired up perfectly with the saltiness of the halloumi. Jesse and I enjoyed this salad for lunch recently and were smitten! It’s the perfect salad for a light lunch.

To make this salad vegan, I suggest pan-frying a few slices of tofu with some cumin seeds. Crispy tofu would be a great substitute for the halloumi cheese. Additionally, you can grill the halloumi cheese on your BBQ. Just brush the oil onto the grill and cook the halloumi about 2 minutes on each side.

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Marinated Carrot + Halloumi Salad

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 12 slices of halloumi cheese
  • 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons of canola oil, divided
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced into thin strips (using a vegetable peeler)
  • 1/4 cup of pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon of honey or agave
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • spring greens mix

Method

  1. In a small jar, combine the orange juice, lemon juice, honey (or agave), ground cumin, ground coriander, 1 tablespoon of canola and salt + pepper. Shake well to combine. Toss dressing with the shredded carrots. Set aside. Allow carrots to marinate in dressing for at least 15 minutes.
  2. Heat remaining tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place slices of halloumi cheese in skillet and allow them to golden (about 4 minutes for the first side and 2 for the second). Right after flipping the cheese, sprinkle halloumi with cumin seeds. Allow the seeds to toast for about 2 minutes. Remove cheese from heat and allow to cool slightly.
  3. Place mixed greens onto 4 salad plates. Top greens with orange-cumin marinated carrot slices. Place 3 slices of halloumi cheese on top of each salad. Garnish with pepitas. Note: if any dressing remaining in bowl, drizzle over salad.

Notes

Source: loosely adapted from Canadian Living - July 2013