The first is a meatless burger. We were doing a ton of grilling last summer, and I wanted something healthy to throw on, that wouldn't clog my arteries...and there's only so much I can do with tofu!! :)
So I came up with this recipe.
Combine in a food processor:
crush 1 cup of cashews until finely ground
add:
1 can of chickpeas
1 tbsp of tahini
finely chopped or crushed garlic (to taste - I recommend at least a couple cloves)
finely chopped onions (to taste - I used about 2 tbsp *finely* chopped)
dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce
dash of balsamic vinegar
enough quick cook oats to make a consistency suitable for 'patty-ing' (about a half - 3/4 cup or more, depending on your 'dashes' above)
If you find that it's too dry, add a bit more tahini, until desired consistency is reached.
Whiz all the ingredients together in your processor, until it's the consistency of hamburger meat. Add more oats until this happens. It should be easily moldable into patties which hold their shape and don't break apart.
At this point, either grill them in a pan or on the bbq. I found that they cook equally as nice, no matter where you do them. Just make sure to oil your grill/pan well, as there is very little natural fat here.
**variations** I've also added sunflower seeds instead of cashews to this, with good results. You could also use almonds or other similar nuts. Also, I've used lentils instead of chickpeas. It changes the taste, and is a bit 'meatier' that way, but they make an equally delicious burger! Just make sure to up the oat content a bit with lentils, as they have more moisture than the chickpeas.
The second recipe is basically the same recipe as one presented by Dreena Burton in Vive Le Vegan, but I've made a few alterations. I really liked her original, but I've made mine a bit more 'traditional' tasting.
Lentil Meatloaf
3/4 cups of canned lentils
one red onion, chopped
1 cup of quick cook oats
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
garlic, to taste - chopped (I used a couple cloves)
2 tbsp of ketchup
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tsp of vegan worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp of dried rosmary
1/2 tsp of dried oregano
1/2 tsp of dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
Put sunflower seeds in food processor until coursely chopped. Add remaining ingredients to food processor and whiz until roughly the same texture as hamburger. Transfer to a lightly oiled pie plate, and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned
Serve on a bed of hummus, drizzled with balsamic vinegar & olive oil.
