How about grilling marinated porto bello mushrooms?
Frankly I would prefer just a mess of grilled veggies, like zucchini, fat onion slices, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggplant....Toss with oil, salt, a few herbs and some crushed garlic....a sprinkle of balsamic and grill in a grill basket...or just on the grill.
Linda C

Deanna, I noticed yesterday that something is going on with the search function. I searched for a thread 3 days ago and found it with no problem. Yesterday I searched again for that same thread and NO responses.

Hi Deanna, I have a couple in my files...

Spicy Black Bean Burger: - ohiomom

2 cups cooked black beans
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
2 carrots, grated
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper

Roughly mash beans, not too mushy :) Heat oil. Add ginger and cumin, sautee till seeds are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add carrot, celery, bell pepper and crushed red pepper and saute till tender.

Mix all ingredients together, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Shape into patties. Heat a little olive oil in skillet, fry burgers over medium low heat until golden brown on each side.

Not sure who this one is from - I got it here back in 2004.

VEGGIE BURGERS

1 16 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and dried.
1/3 cup red onion, chopped.
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons salsa
1 teas ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
More bread crumbs
Process beans, onion, breadcrumbs, salsa, cumin, and Tobasco. Form two to three burgers and dredge them in more bread crumbs. Fry or grill for 3 minutes per side to brown and heat through. Serve on whole wheat buns with more salsa.

Those look good, Stacy. I've copied and pasted them.

I also think LindaC is right on about the portabella mushroom for a burger, unless she doesn't like mushrooms. The only problem I have when I choose to sub a portabella mushroom for a burger when cooking hamburgers for more than just me, is even the meat eaters want a portabella mushroom too. That can get expensive.

Sally

Thanks stacy3! This will give us a couple to try!

lindac, she loves all the grilled veggies, but has a hard time getting in enough protein. I'd like to make up more than we need for today and freeze some so she can make a quick "burger" later too. And....I've got the most beautiful, HUGE, tomato sitting on the counter....It just has to go on a big bun! LOL No portabellas in the house right now and I'm not going to the store!! Today is the ONE day this week that I don't have to drive 20 miles into town.

mustangs, that's good to know that maybe it was the search engine and not me! I'll try again later to see what I can find too.

Deanna

Note: I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years, although I occasionally eat meat, which I guess makes me more of a "flexitarian."

Maybe it's just me, but I don't like grilled portabella mushrooms as a "burger" substitute. As you mentioned, they don't have any protein, and to me, it's just a big slimy brown starchy thing on a bun. I like them sauteed and marinated or marinated and grilled though, but not on a bun.

In general, I am not a beanburger fan, they are too mushy in the middle for my taste. Two easier and additional options for you are to buy the commercial ones made out of textured vegetable protein, which is chewier than a beanburger. You can also buy mixes for tofu burgers, although I'm not crazy about those either for the mush factor. I like the frozen burgers, Morningstar Farms is my favorite. Super easy option too! Another option is falafel, which you can buy really good mixes for, which is what I do when I make it. I love falafel on a pita with tomatoes, lettuce, pickled yellow peppers and cucumber, with yogurt sauce or blue cheese dressing.

Having said that, here's my beanburger recipe, it uses lentils.

Beanburgers (I think this comes from "Seventeen" magazine, circa around 1978) Serves 6.

1 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 TBLSP wheat germ
1 TBLSP vinegar (red wine would be good, but could use other kinds)
1 TBLSP mustard (the brown kind if you have it)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
3 TBLSP butter or margarine or olive oil for frying
6 slices of cheese
6 buns, preferably whole wheat

Rinse lentils, cook with 2 cups water until soft (about 50 min.) Note: I use half veggie broth, half water to cook beans.
Drain beans if necessary. Combine with next 8 ingredients. Divide mixture into six equal portions, form into patties. Fry in oil or butter for 3 min. on each side. Note: these will be kinda mushy. You can dip in egg white and panko if you think it might make a difference. That's what I do with salmon patties, but I haven't tried it with these yet.
Place chees slices on patties, cover skillet, cook until cheese melts. Serve on buns with lettuce and condiments.

We made the Veggie burgers posted by stacy3.
A couple of minor adjustments:
We used some mustard instead of the salsa and less cumin, but added a little garlic powder.
Also add 2 small eggs and extra bread crumbs to make up for the extra moisture.
They tasted good, but like lpink said, they are mushy (or soft) in the middle and wanted to crumble easily.

Any ideas on how to get them to hold together better? I thought the eggs would do it, but they didn't.

It may take a few renditions to get a recipe we like, but not tossing it out yet.... :-)

Deanna

Where do you get Falafel? I've never had it before, and I never think about it, but it would be interesting to try. What section of the store do you find it in?

By the way, Morningstar Farms is my favorite brand for veggie burgers, too.

Sally

I've tried several kinds of falafel mixes. I live in a somewhat Jewish neighborhood, so there is a kosher section in my local grocery store and they have a falafel mix made by Manaschevitz or however you spell that company. It's OK. I also get it in health food grocery stores. The brand I get there is Fantastic brand falafel mix. I can find that sometimes in the regular grocery in their health food/vegetarian section, if they have such a thing. Another brand I get is "Near East" brand falafel mix, and that I can find sometimes in the ethnic food aisle of the grocery. The best kind I ever got was the mix they sold in bulk at the Food Co-Op when I lived in Grand Rapids, MI. There isn't a storefront Co-Op where I live now though.

You can make your own from a recipe using fresh garbanzo beans or whatever, but I like the stuff from the dried mix better actually, and it is way easier. Note: these have to be fried in a lot of oil, so they are not low fat, and they are crumbly, somewhat. I have yet to find a homeade, non crumbly veggie burger, which is why I just buy the frozen ones nowdays, since they are so readily available practically everywhere. But I eat falafel in wraps and pita, so I don't mind it being somewhat crumbly.

A little late, but one more recipe....

This one is a favorite around our house. I make up a couple recipes at a time and keep a stack of them in the freezer.

BEAN BURGERS
(source: Eat More, Weigh Less - by Dr. Dean Ornish)

Makes six 5-inch "burgers.

1/2 c. minced green onions (I also use fresh chives.)
1-1/2 t. minced garlic
2 T. white wine or vegetable stock (water will also work)
1 29-ounce can cooked drained pinto beans
3/4 c. cracker meal
2 egg whites (I use 1 whole egg)
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 T. seasoned rice vinegar (or plain vinegar and add some salt to the recipe)
1/2 t. SPIKE seasoning mix (a must use ingredient - I get it at our local health food store)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a small nonstick saute pan, braise the onions and garlic in the white wine until soft.

In a medium bowl, combine the sauteed onions and garlic, beans, cracker meal, egg whites, parsley, vinegar, and seasoning powder. Mash well with a fork or potato masher until blended but not entirely smooth.

On a parchment-lined baking sheet, drop the mixture by 1/2-cup amount and flatten gently with a spoon to form six 5-inch "burgers." Bake for 25 minutes, or until set and beginning to brown lightly. Serve hot.

Grainlady Note: I use 1/3 c. for the burger size because I make smaller multi-grain burger buns than will accommodate an (obscenely) huge 5-inch "burger". I reheat the thawed "burgers" either in a toaster oven, or on a griddle/fry pan.

-Grainlady