Vegetarian Burgers Worth Giving up Meat for

Many people all over the world are deciding to go vegan or vegetarian. With the immense carbon footprint the meat industry puts on our planet every single day, it’s no wonder that people are deciding to help our environment by changing their diet. But with summer coming to a close and the cooler weather drawing everyone outside for barbecues and bonfires, the vegetarians often have to settle for side dishes or frozen “meat flavored” soy patties which, lets face it, are not particularly great-tasting. Here are some meatless burger recipes that will be perfect and delicious for vegetarian guests at a barbecue, or for your own Meatless Monday!

Tofu Burger

RECIPE HERE

Don’t stop reading!! Starting the list with arguably the most stereotypically bland vegan ingredient there is probably doesn’t look like a good sign, but it is also one of the easiest burgers on this list. Think about it: Tofu absorbs any flavor it’s marinaded in, and all you have to do to form the patties themselves is slice a chunk off of the block! There are TONS of variations on tofu burger recipes on the internet, but here is a basic one that you can follow and tweak as you’d like. The recipe says to marinade for 20 minutes but I would recommend marinading for 1-2 hours to get the flavors really soaked in. Try different kinds of marinades and spices to see what you can create.

There is a high-end assisted living facility in Washington state that is 100% vegetarian and serves the best black bean burger.  Most of its residents have LTC insurance to pay the bill and this can afford the finer things such as the vegan-nursing homes.  The burger itself is packet with of course beans but also the brain boosting omega three fatty acids from organic chia seeds.  These seeds have been shown to help with dementia symptoms so eat up!

Sun-dried Tomato and Quinoa Burger

RECIPE HERE

This is almost like having a pizza inside of a burger. It’s cheesy and tomatoey and delicious, AND while most grains are not complete proteins (the kind of protein found in animal meat) quinoa is!

Portabella Burgers

RECIPE HERE

Now, you could just grill the portabella cap and put it on a bun as an alternative like so many restaurants do, but this recipe gives you more of the burger mouth feel that a meat patty would give you, and the added spices, parmesan, broccoli and beans add flavor and texture that a grilled portabella cap just doesn’t have.

Garbanzo Bean Burgers

RECIPE HERE

This one is my absolute favourite burger alternative. It tastes delicious and feels meaty as you’re eating it; plus it tastes great with any condiment, cheese, etc. and is SO easy to make.

Vegan Big Mac

RECIPE HERE

I haven’t actually had a chance to try this one yet, but just reading through the ingredients convinced me to try to make them tonight. Who doesn’t love a Big Mac?! If you’re not dairy-free you can obviously use regular cheese and buns.