Mushroom Cheddar Vegetarian Burgers

Rob and I tried out a veggie burger recipe this weekend, and we were pleasantly surprised! It was really easy, and the mess was minimal!!

The recipe is by Elizabeth Baird from Canadian Living Cooks. I found it online at www.foodtv.ca. (my favourite source for recipes!)

Mushroom Cheddar Vegetarian Burgers

Yield:  4 

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp vegetable oil

1small onion, grated

1 1/2 cup finely chopped mushroom

1/2 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning

1 x 19 oz can white kidney beans, drained, and, rinsed

1 egg, yolk, lightly, beaten

2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp pepper

3 oz old cheddar cheese, sliced

4 lettuce leaf

4 whole wheat pita, breads

DIRECTIONS:

1. In nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook onion, mushrooms and Italian seasoning; stirring, for about 8 minutes or until mixture is just starting to brown and liquid is evaporated. Let cool slightly.
   
2. In bowl, mash kidney beans with fork. Add mushroom mixture, egg yolk, bread crumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape into four 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick patties. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours)
   
3. Place patties on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Sandwich along with lettuce in pitas.

All in all, it turned out well... We made a few changes:

1. We used grated cheese and integrated it with the mixture, instead of putting it on top.
2. We added more mushrooms than the recipe calls for. Upon tasting the recipe the first time around, we decided it tasted too much like beans and not enough like mushrooms. 
3. We fried them in a pan instead of grilling them. (The snow was covering the BBQ).
4. We used burger buns instead of pitas. We also topped it off with your typical burger toppings.

Next time around, I'd like to try using a different kind of beans. Black beans, possibly. Chick peas would be good too. I'd also only use a half can to start, and add them in as necessary to bind everything together.  

This is a great recipe as it's very flexible. It would be great with portabello mushrooms and Swiss cheese, or you could do black beans and monterey jack for something a little different. You could add in jalapenos or olives or whatever you wanted to give it the flavour you like. 

Who has two thumbs and really likes this recipe? This girl. 

:)