01 June 2011

Review: Happy Herbivore's Mushroom Burgers

I have a confession...
I've fallen in love with two cookbooks. I have barely been making my own dishes lately as I'm completely smitten with these recipes. My most recent cookbook love is The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay Nixon (aka- The Happy Herbivore, herself). Today's dinner was the clincher: HH's Mushroom Burgers (page 89 of the cookbook). WOW. They are absolutely, hands-down my favorite veggie burger EVER. You think I'm kidding? Well, my friends, you are sadly mistaken. I can't describe their glory. I never, ever eat 2 burgers in one sitting, but I did tonight. I couldn't resist; I'm weak against their power.

As always, I never follow recipes 100%, but I came pretty close with this one. The changes I made to the original recipe:
  • I used white button mushrooms instead of creminis.
  • Used 2 cloves minced garlic instead of garlic powder.
  • I added about 1/3 tsp liquid smoke.
  • Used freshly soaked & cooked kidney beans instead of canned.
The burgers held their shape really well, which doesn't always happen with homemade veggie burgers. I baked mine, per HH's instructions, and they got a nice crispness around the outer edges yet still stayed moist inside. Another magical feat that most veggie burgers can't accomplish. The addition of the BBQ sauce and steak sauce really gave the burgers a lovely depth of flavor. I was actually a little wary of using mushrooms in a burger, thinking it would just make it mushy and taste too much like mushrooms. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE mushrooms a lot, but I don't want a burger to taste like a giant mushroom. I wouldn't have ever guessed there were mushrooms in the burgers if I hadn't made them myself. And, to top it all off, they were SO easy to make. I can't recommend them enough.

I could really go on and on about the burgers, but I'd rather you just made them yourself! I made some baked sweet potato fries to go with mine. And they make a magnificent combo, if I do say so myself. So, the moral of the story: Make the burgers. You won't be disappointed. Or, maybe you will be...but that's only because you're insane.



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6 comments:

  1. xJune 1, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    Those chips look great! And I love when dinner turns out to fantastic and you can't help but eat more than usual!

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  2. ElisabethJune 1, 2011 at 10:36 PM

    I love the Happy Herbivore cookbook! The recipes are tasty,easy to make,do not require expensive ingredients and when I eat HH food I do not feel all greasy and nasty afterwords.

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  3. ElisabethJune 1, 2011 at 10:37 PM

    Yummy!

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  4. Lindsay (Happy Herbivore)June 2, 2011 at 8:37 AM

    I bet liquid smoke would be a nice edition and they look great! I've made them with white and brown mushrooms. I like brown better but white works okay! Thanks :-)

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  5. MegJune 2, 2011 at 10:24 AM

    Hi Mandee,
    You are absolutely right. We couldn't get enough of the yummy burgers. And the sweet potato chips were insanely easy. Peel and chop potatoes to desired size (the smaller, the quicker they cook). Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Then put all the potatoes into a large bowl and drizzle 1 teaspoon oil into bowl. Toss to coat. Then lay the potatoes out on a baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with a little salt and bake on a lower rack about 30-40 minutes, flipping them halfway.

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  6. MegJune 2, 2011 at 10:27 AM

    Elisabeth,
    You are absolutely right! That is something I just LOVE about the HH cookbook. Easy recipes with easy-to-find ingredients that don't cost a fortune. My nearest WholeFoods is an hour away, so I don't often have access to the specialty vegan items some cookbooks call for. And, low-fat recipes with lots of flavor are always a hit with me. I don't feel weighed down...even after eating 2 burgers. :)

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