2.23.2009

Roasted Pepper Veggie Burgers

Roasted Pepper Veggie Burgers

Did You Know? The white ribs inside a pepper that we all trim away actually contain heart healthful bioflavonoids, so use them in your soups!

This was one of the first things I made for my family when I started this blog, but unfortunately I don't have the pictures from our very first experience. Because if I did, you would see them on big, homemade kaiser rolls. I was so excited at how well those rolls turned out, but for some reason, I have yet to make them again. I'll save that for Spring Break, which will be here before I know it.

Besides the rolls, which definitely don't make or break this sandwich, the burgers have quickly become my go-to meal. Pre-Roasted Pepper Veggie Burgers, my diet consisted of a lot of store-bought, frozen patties (Gardenburger mostly). They were convenient, healthy, and pretty tasty, but I knew all of that sodium and TVP couldn't be the best thing in the world. When I came across Heidi's Ultimate Veggie Burger, I knew it had to be good, I mean is there anything on 101 Cookbooks that isn't?




Roasted Peppers

Serving her burger as the bun, it lent itself to a lot of different fillings, which she detailed wonderfully. Being a bread person, I knew I wanted to take some of her filling ideas, and experiment with adding them to the burger mixture itself. That way I would incorporate some extra veggies, add some more flavor, and plate the burger more traditionally, sandwiched between bread.

Roasted Pepper Veggie Burgers

The burgers are a breeze to throw together, and the taste is like nothing you will find in their manufactured counterpart. I love the depth that the roasted peppers bring, set-off by the brightness of the cilantro. The sauteed exterior develops a wonderful, golden crunch, split open to reveal a creamy, hummus-like filling.

Keeping the base mixture consistent with Heidi's recommendations, the flavor combinations for mix-ins are endless - all resulting in an entirely new burger. I've already come up with a new favorite version of this ultimate veggie burger that I can't wait to reveal to all of you in the future. Until then, here's my first take on Heidi's classic...


Roasted Pepper Veggie Burgers


Roasted Pepper Veggie Burger
2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
1 red bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped
Zest of one lemon
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1/2 cup whole-grain bread crumbs
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place red and jalapeno peppers on a baking sheet, cut side down. Right before placing them in the oven, switch your oven over to broil. Broil for about 8-10 minutes, until charred on the outside.

Remove from the oven and place the peppers in a zip-lock bag. Seal the bag, and let steam for about 20-30 minutes. At this point, the skins can easily be peeled away, to leave you with the roasted peppers.

Combine the chickpeas, eggs, roasted peppers, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a slightly chunky hummus. You don't want a smooth batter. Add the alfalfa sprouts, and pulse a few more times just to combine. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, and zest. Stir in the breadcrumbs or flax, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture.

Form the burger mixture into patties, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. I use an ice cream scoop for this to get around 12-15 small burgers. You can either freeze the patties (which is what I do, so I can have them whenever the mood strikes), or heat up that last tablespoon of oil in a skillet, and cook for a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned and heated through.

I enjoy mine on a toasted Ezekial 4:9 Sprouted English Muffin, smeared with some red pepper hummus and topped with baby spinach leaves.


Roasted Pepper Veggie Burgers

52 comments:

  1. WOW those look amazing!!! I love how pure and simple they are too- a lot of store bought veggie burgers have too much "other" stuff in them!

    Thanks for this :)

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  2. Great health information on the peppers; and LOOOOVELY burgers!!

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  3. What a lovely recipe and I love your step by step pictures!

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  4. Wow!! What a work of beauty, it looks almost too delicious too eat. Wonderful job as alway. MUST try this!!

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  5. Such great flavours! Sounds like a really healthy and tasty burger!

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  6. Oh my goodness - those look SO good! I've never made my own veggie burgers, unless you count smashing up some black beans and adding spices...

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  7. who needs a crabcake when you can make these??? YUM

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  8. These look so good Hayley! I love veggie burgers, but not those frozen pieces of awfulness. Veggie burgers like this. And if you need another idea for a delicious veggie patty, you should try the black bean and sweet potato patties in Dishing up Delights. They are killer!

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  9. These look wonderful! Now I know what to make when my vegetarian friend is here. Thank you!

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  10. Roasted peppers are a great addition. These veggie burgers sound quite tasty.

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  11. who knew about the peppers?? and these veggie burgers look great! i haven't made burgers in a while so thanks for the reminder.

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  12. i LOVE this recipe and make it all the time! i suggest you eat it like she recommends, though, and use the burger as the buns. it's SO good that way!! :)

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  13. I love homemade veggie burgers, I have two recipes that I make all the time. They're both from Everyday Food, one is a lentil and walnut burger, the other is bulgur and pinto bean.

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  14. I can't wait to try this burger. It looks amazing!

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  15. Mmm,nice, I'll be trying this shortly although I may cut corners with the peppers in a jar!

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  16. I know some people would balk at the texture of these, but I think they are beautiful. I can almost taste that smokey roasted pepper now... :)

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  17. I seriously want to come to your house for dinner. I love vegetarian burgers and this looks delicious although knowing me, I *may* replace the peppers with roasted tomatoes. Still delicious though!

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  18. Yum! This looks so healthy and delicious! I can't wait to give it a try.

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  19. These sound delicious! I hate store-bought veggie burgers, so these sound like a great subsitute. I'll just use tofu instead of the eggs. :)

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  20. Ive always wanted to make veggie patties at home. Gardenburger is tasty but expensive and high sodium. I love the addition of sprouts in this recipe. Red pepper hummus and spinach sound grrrreat with this!

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  21. I have to admit that I've been in those ruts of just heating up a frozen gardenburger, but these look so good, I have chickpeas so can try it out soon. Yours are also so much healthier and more natural! Thank you!

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  22. Your Veggie Burger looks wonderful, Hayley. Just what I need after an over-indulgent vacation. Beautiful photos!

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  23. Ooh I love roasted pepper, and I eat chickpeas nearly everyday. These looks like a winner! I'm definitely adding them to my must make list

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  24. That looks fabulous, and of course is a wonderful way to get in your veggies!

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  25. That's a nice hearty burger. I think I would have to add some mashed potatoes to substitute the eggs.

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  26. awesome!!! these look WAY better than frozen veggie burgers :)

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  27. Now that looks awesome. I don't like the store bought veggie burgers so I am very happy you posted this recipe. Thanks :)

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  28. This burger looks super delicious. Hearty and healthy, just the way I like em'....Really great replacements, great recipe!

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  29. This looks delicious! I just stumbled across your blog and am very excited about searching through your recipes. I noticed in your profile you said you wished you had a degree in nutrition and wellness and would like to open your own retreat one day. I am actually working on my MS in nutrition and dietetics and my dietetic internship and have also thought about the opening a health and wellness retreat one day. Maybe one day we can collaborate :)

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  30. Those burgers looks really good! When I saw the step by step photos I was thinking about a roasted pepper hummus.

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  31. Wow this looks amazing. I need a food processor!!

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  32. I am very excited about finding your blog b/c this is exactly how I like to eat! What a great looking "burger"!! Found you on foodgawker...

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  33. Wow, I'm totally bookmarking this. Not only do they look absolutely delicious, but they are also soy free! I can't really eat soy, so I can't buy a lot of the brands out there. But homemade is always better anyway, and these look great!

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  34. This is the best looking vegetarian burger I've ever seen. If you don't mind, I might have to make this and feature it and refer back to you. It's so high in protein and I also love the spinach leaves and choice of roll. Just how I like to eat.

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  35. This burger looks delicious, except for the eggs. Has anyone tried (vegan) egg replacer in this recipe? Someone mentioned using mashed potatoes instead of egg. Does that work?

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  36. Elisabeth: I'd recommend pureeing a block of tofu and adding that to the mix.

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  37. These look so yummy with ezekial muffins! I also keep up with Heidi as well, quite talented! Your finished burger looks AMAZING!

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  38. Tried this out, tastes wonderful! Though I think I used a bit too much cilantro, got by with only half a chopped onion and could have used a bit more zest! thanks, look forward to checking out more.

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  39. forgot to mention -

    I ate these on toasted english muffins with a little drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar.

    YUM.

    Michelle

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  40. I just made this for lunch with the following changes:

    Added 5 or 6 cloves of roasted garlic to the chickpeas (throw a bunch of cloves with their skin on in a foil packet with olive oil and salt. Roast for 20-35min in a 375 degree oven until the cloves are golden and can be squeezed out of their skins)
    Added 2 carrots, grated
    Omitted the cilantro (not my favourite herb), the jalapenos (didn't have any) and the alfalfa sprouts (didn't have any)
    Added a few shakes of Worcestershire and hot sauce
    Instead of breadcrumbs (didn't have any) I used a bunch of Vinta crackers and some garlic croutons that I had around. Just pulse them in a food processor until you get crumbs.

    This made about 15 patties.

    After frying up 2 for lunch I would say they need a bit more salt. When I'm making these next time I'll just sprinkle some salt on either side of the patty before frying.

    Excellent recipe though! Very versatile. I'm happy Food Gawker brought me here!

    Michelle

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  41. I attempted to make these but they came out horrible. I didnt put lemon zest and I think I put to many sprouts. Im going to attempt to make the curry chickpea burgers, but follow directions this time.

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  42. These are SO delicious! I've made them a few times, despite not having a food processor (so the whole process takes hours..) but it is so worth it. The meat eaters are also crazy about them!
    For me the key is the spices - lots of black pepper and cumin.

    happy eating

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  43. Awesome....I just made these. I didn't ahve any red pepper, so I subbed green pepper, and I shook in some worstershire sauce, and a tbsp of chicken oxxo. Lol...not exactly 'food' but it did give them some kick, oh, about a 1/8 tsp of cumin. Thanks for the recipe!

    April

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  44. I am getting ready to make these for my veggie co-op meal swap. If you freeze them do they then get defrosted and cooked up in oil? Thanks!

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  45. Hi,

    Would love to try this, however, I am allergic to eggs. What can I use to instead?

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  46. Erin - you're exactly right. I bet you wouldn't even need any oil, if you prefer without.

    Anonymous - I have yet to make these since becoming vegan, but I imagine a block of pureed silken tofu would do the trick. Or, a tablespoon of ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water, for each egg called for.

    Hope that helps! xoxo

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  47. instead of making them on the skillet, can i pop these in the oven?

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  48. instead of making them on the skillet, can i pop these in the oven?

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  49. Just made these and they were delicious! Thank you!

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  50. Hi Jacqueline! This recipe makes around 15 burgers, depending on the size of your scoop.

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