Black and blue is a flavor combination that is hard to beat! Tangy blue cheese and spicy blackening season complement each other so well, it is a classic combination. Before I started to focus on whole foods, I would put blackening seasoning and blue cheese on frozen burgers. This homemade black and blue veggie burger is so much better, and better for you!
I make these burgers with a base of mushrooms, brown rice, pecan meal, and bread crumbs. I use pecan meal to increase the protein in this burger, and rice to add texture. Texture is very important to consider when making a veggie burger, and any whole grain will do the trick. I like brown rice because I make it frequently. You could also try quinoa in my black and blue veggie burger.
Nutritional yeast is a flavorful ingredient found in this recipe. It adds a salty, nutty flavor that simulates cheese, without adding more cheese, of course. I like to use it to flavor vegetarian dishes like this, but you can substitute grated Parmesan, or simply omit it if you like. I have a blackening seasoning recipe that I love, but you could make this burger with your own recipe, or a store bought variety as well. A burger wouldn’t be complete without some fries. I recommend serving with Homemade Steak Fries. Enjoy!
- 4 button mushrooms, finely minced (I used a food processor)
- ½ cup cooked brown rice
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 6 TBS pecan meal
- 2 TBS nutritional yeast
- 2 TBS ketchup
- ½ tsp whole grain or Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 2-3 TBS whole wheat flour
- 1½ tsp blackening seasoning, diveded (see my recipe below!)
- splash of olive oil, for cooking
- 2 whole wheat buns
- lettuce, for serving
- 1 TBS paprika
- 1½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Combine mushrooms through egg white in a large bowl. Stir in enough flour to make the burgers stay together. The mixture will be sticky still. Stir in 1 tsp blackening seasoning.
- Preheat a heavy bottomed skillet (I prefer cast iron) over medium heat with a splash of olive oil.
- Split the burger mixture into 2 portions and place into preheated pan. Top each burger with another ¼ tsp blackening seasoning, spreading it to cover the surface.
- Flip and cook burgers until blackened on each side, and cooked through.
- Serve burgers on buns with lettuce.
- Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. Adjust cayenne according to spice preferences.
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