Most individuals love a good cheeseburger, hamburger or chicken fried steak. There are now vegetable alternatives of these items in many grocery and health food markets. While this is the case, most are often quite expensive in comparison to making garden veggie patties at home.
As with traditional versions of these items, some recipes are better than others. There is one recipe which is somewhat more versatile when it comes to making vegetable burgers and other items. As with frozen versions, this recipe assures that these alternative burgers, steaks and chicken patties do not fall apart when frying. One of the primary ingredients to assure this does not happen is that of a binder such as eggs or an egg based alternative.
The main ingredients for these homemade burgers include equal parts of lentils, oats and rice and a binder such as eggs or egg based alternatives. Individuals can then add other vegetables such as bell peppers, onions and greens as desired. If desiring a veggie chicken fried steak, simply leave out the vegetables, freeze the patties for 24 hours, then dredge in flour and fry in a shallow non-stick skillet with a small amount of cooking oil. As with traditional versions, the left over oil can then be used to make a brown or country style gravy.
Store bought alternatives are also a good option. Shoppers can often find black bean burgers, spicy black bean burgers, vegetable burgers and vegetable protein burgers at local markets. In addition, vegans and vegetarians will also find other meat alternatives in the freezer section of most health food and grocery stores. These alternatives include corn dogs, chicken patties and veggie breakfast items such as bacon and sausage.
For those who can purchase these store bought versions, there are a number of options. Shoppers can now find everything from veggie burgers to seafood alternatives at local grocery stores and markets. As these items are often higher in price than traditional items, many prefer to re-create these items at home. When it comes to seafood alternatives, there are a number of recipes which can be found online. Some of these include vegetable crab, lobster and tuna alternatives.
There are a number of meat, pork and poultry alternatives which can be made from this basic mix. These include, veggie burgers, chicken fried steak, meatballs and other items. When desiring to make a good vegetable chicken patty, simply replace the lentils with garbanzo beans or chickpeas. Then, season, shape and size the patties before freezing for 24-48 hours. After which, individuals can serve these different foods as desired.
Professionals and home chefs alike love to use different spice blends when cooking each batch of these items. While contents are often similar, each serving will have a different taste than the last. Some great spices that can be added to the mixture include teriyaki or soy sauce, maple spice powder, seasoned salt and others.
Freezing and storage is one of the most important parts of the process. For, if not stored in a container with a secure lid, freezer burn can set in quite easily. As such, a number of home chefs now use old plastic coffee cans like those which Yuban, Folgers and other brands are marketed.