Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Tofu as Burger

I saw a recipe recently -- chicken, chive, and spinach burgers. I was all about the chive and spinach. Alas, none of the ingredients were handy.

So I took what I did have and made a pretty decent little burger. Ideally, I would have loved to use protein crumbles, but tofu worked. The secret to making tofu burgers appealing: seasonings.

Here's my attempt:

Tofu Burgers with Mustard Sauce
1 package tofu, drained and water squeezed out
2 Tbl. Dijon mustard
1- 2 tsp. your favorite seasoning (I used Cajun seasoning and Hungarian paprika)
1/4 cup fresh chives, snipped, if you have them
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

Drain tofu and squeeze excess water out by placing it on a board covered in paper towels and weighting it down. Should take about ten minutes to get the water out.

Crumble tofu into a medium bowl. Add all ingredients and mix well.

Form burgers. If they don't hold up, try either a beaten egg or a little bit of regular breadcrumbs (I did both and they were still a little wobbly).

Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium, then add burgers. Cook about four minutes on each side. You may have to flip them a few more times just to be sure the insides cook.

Serve on your favorite bun with this dressing, which elevates it:

2 Tbl. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. agave nectar/syrup (or honey if you prefer)
1 Tbl. mayonnaise

You can tweak this recipe any way you like -- use honey Dijon, regular mustard, whatever makes you happy.