You’re different than I am. I like that about you.
We’re all different. And people who need people, are the luckiest people. And stuff like that.
So just because I’m not a Hallmark-holiday-sort-of-girl doesn’t mean we can’t get along famously. Or that I can’t make a veggie burger on a nice GF bun for your Daddy. Or your husband. Or your brother. Or … you. I can. Watch me.
But first can we talk about holidays? I’m not their biggest fan. If “holidays” had a Facebook page, I wouldn’t ‘like’ it. If they tweeted, I wouldn’t follow. If they needed a cup of sugar, maybe (just because what’s the big deal, right?). If they asked if wouldn’t mind, just this once, celebrating them for the sake of the children, please the poor defenseless little children who need a celebration to brighten their otherwise bleak and tired lives, I’d say get lost. The children are just fine.
But, apparently, if my in-laws invite me to drive 4 hours in one day to celebrate by eating bar-be-que, on a Sunday no less when everyone in the country is traveling back and forth, forth and back, apparently I’m all in {eh, they don’t read the blog – don’t worry}.
If I sound like a curmudgeon, it’s okay. I just have opinions. You know?
One of my opinions is about traveling on Father’s Day {above}. Another is about bar-be-ques. I’m not the biggest fan of those, either.
I’m also not the smallest fan of bar-be-ques, though. I think the smallest fan is a teeny tiny vegetarian who can’t stand the smell of grilled flesh. Me, I’m a fan of grilled meat. I’ll even eat it, often gladly. It tastes good! But, in my experience, bar-be-ques often suffer for lack of imagination. So they rely very heavily upon big hunks of meat, hold the inspiration.
So this is what I suggest. I suggest mixing it up with a vegetarian option. Not vegan, because I’m too lazy for that. We’re gluten-free over here, people. That’s enough “free” for me. And I need eggs. They are such kitchen workhorses. I also need and love beans. My children love beans. From a can (good) or from scratch (better), they are super versatile & packed with nutrition. And they make a great veggie burger.
If you can’t tolerate even certified gluten-free oats, like Bob’s Red Mill or Cream Hill Estates, you can swap them out for a combination of chopped nuts and extra GF flour until you reach the consistency described in the recipe.
What you see above on either side of that black bean veggie burger is the Quick {Sandwich} Bread from the other week, made as a bun {carefully divide the dough into 6 parts on a parchment lined baking sheet, smooth and shape the tops with wet fingers, and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes}. By the way, I modified that recipe a teeny bit. I was finding that, although it was moist, it wasn’t strong enough to be my man for sandwiches. I don’t know. Anyway, I cut down on the butter, dialed up the whey powder, and divided the egg whites. Half the egg whites I added to the batter as is, and half I beat into stiff peaks before folding into the batter at the end. If you could see through this here screen, you would see me patting myself on the back. It worked a treat. And you can see proof right here above that the same recipe can be made easily into buns. How do you like my hamburger buns? Hamburger buns suddenly sounds gross to me now. Like dimply, bumpy tushy buns. Ew.
But yum. And strong enough. Manly buns. Like for Dad. Or your kids’ Dad. Or your husband, when he says “Who’s your Daddy?” in bed. Ew again.
Nice buns.
So, tell me about your ideal bar-be-que experience. What’s it look like/taste like/sound like?
| Who’s Your Daddy? & GF Veggie Burger {Recipe} |
- 6 to 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium potatoes, diced with the skin on
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 14-ounce can, drained)
- 1/2 cup certified gluten-free oats
- 5 egg yolks (large or extra-large will do)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Better Batter) (plus more for dusting)
- 1/3 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
- In a large heavy-bottom sauce pan or Dutch oven, place the onion, potatoes, carrots and celery in 3 to 4 tablespoons oil, stir to combine, and turn the heat to medium. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper after a few minutes of cooking, and stir to combine. Cover the pot to “sweat” the vegetables for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and taking care not to burn them. You want to caramelize the sugars and soften the vegetables. This will add layers of flavor and a touch of rich sweetness to the burgers.
- While the vegetables are cooking, combine the beans, oats, and egg yolks in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is uniformly chunky, but not a puree.
- Once the vegetables are done cooking, mash them with a potato masher or fork until mashed but chunky. Allow them to cool briefly to avoid cooking the egg yolks in the black bean mixture once everything is combined.
- Add one third of the black bean mixture to the mashed vegetables, and stir to combine. Add the remaining black bean mixture, and stir in the flour and xanthan gum. The mixture should be very thick, and you should be able to handle it enough to gently form it into patties. If you can’t, add more flour by the tablespoon until you can.
- Dredge the patties through a bit more flour, and sauté them in the remaining oil over medium high heat. Work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding, and sauté until crispy on the outside, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Remove to plates lined with paper towels. Serve warm, on a bun.
Happy Father’s Day, then. :) Friday – we’ll make dessert for Your Daddy. Keep in touch.
Love you. Mean it.
Nicole
P.S. Please don’t forget to Stumble Upon me {the “SU” button below}! Thank you!
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I have looked for the stumble button a few times, can’t see it,, doesn’t mean its not there,, I just can’t see it,, sorry, I would hit it if I could see it. I enjoy our site a lot :)
Hi, Lorna,
I’m so sorry the Stumble Upon button is so cloak-&-dagger. It’s the fourth button from the left, in the row that starts with the facebook share button. It looks like it says “SU.” I think it’s su for “submit.” I have to talk to my web designer about making that more obvious! Thanks for posting! I was beginning to think everyone had disappeared!
xoxo
Nicole
Hey Nicole! As my mother always says, “If someone else cooks it, I’ll eat it.” So, my ideal BBQ is someone else cooking it. I’m your basic (meaty) cheeseburger kind of girl, although I do miss the buns when they aren’t around. My favorite holiday is 4th of July — lots of eating, no gifts, no insulting people by going to someone else’s house, and fireworks — I love fireworks! The rest of them, eh, not so much fun! In other news, my kids are home from school now, and not yet on the way to camp! Took me until 1:45 to get the bread in the oven! Anneke
Funny, Anneke! My favorite meal is always one that someone else cooked! And I hear you about the fourth of July. No pressure. No gifts. Perfection! Home from school as in home for school for good, for summer vacation? Yikes! My kids have a full week this week, a full day next Monday, and then about an hour each day for the rest of next week. It’s maddening!
Always good to hear from you. :)
xoxo
Nicole
Do you think you could bake these to keep the fat content down instead of frying them? They look delicious!
Hi, Amanda,
Great idea! You could definitely bake them. They’re essentially already cooked before you saute or bake them, since the beans are cooked, and the aromatics (onions, potatoes, carrots) are already cooked, so the final round is mostly just for making them firmer and giving them a crust. To bake them, I would say 350 degrees F on parchment lined baking sheets for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning them over half way through. You might have to bake them a bit longer than 20 minutes, but I would be careful not to bake them at a much higher temperature than 350, since you don’t want the outside to burn and you want them to dry out a bit (which will help them firm up).
If you try baking them, will you let us know how they turned out?
These are really surprisingly delicious and flavorful. I’m imagining a baked one on a bun, with hummus spread on both sides and a thick slice of tomato. Yum.
Thanks for the question!
xoxo
Nicole
That bun looks amazing!
Hi, Linda,
I know, right? You can so easily make one yourself. Have you tried the Quick {Sandwich} Bread recipe? I modified it a little bit to make it a little more hard-working, and it works really beautifully (and easily) as a bun. That bun you see in the picture? I ate it.
xoxo
Nicole
You made that bun with your quick bread recipe? What did you do to modify it? I’d love to try that! I’ve made your quick bread several times already. This week I made your Brioche bread – SO good! There’s just so many recipes I want to try from your new cookbook – been enjoying it a lot. :)
Hi, Linda,
Yup! It’s so easy to make as rolls. Just scoop out mounds of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, smooth the tops with wet fingers, and bake away. I modified the Quick Sandwich Bread recipe by changing how I handled the egg whites, adding a bit more whey powder, and using a bit less butter. If you have that recipe printed out, just go back to it here on the blog, and print it out again. I updated the “recipe” part of that post to reflect the changes I made. I wouldn’t just tweak a blog recipe and not tell you how!
I’m so so glad you’re enjoying the cookbook. I love the brioche bread, too. I’ve been working on a yeast-free quick version of that, too. It’s not quite there yet, though. :)
xoxo
Nicole
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