The Ultimate Grillable Vegan Burger w/ Crispy Shallots, Sauteed 'Shrooms, and Tangy Blue Cheese Sauce

Difficulty: 3/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)

Prep & Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
Servings: 4

The Challenge: Perfect Grillable Vegan Burger

I was visiting Raleigh, NC not too long ago and had a great breakfast at a popular spot in the city. They were known for their Huevos Rancheros. One of the neat things I saw there was it was a play on it with black beans as the base and tortillas on top. They focused on the black beans as a patty. It was far from vegan with cheese, crema, eggs, etc. 

When eating vegan, for me, I like to draw inspiration from crowd favorites, though. I looked at that as an amazing opportunity to make my own vegan version of the classic Mexican breakfast dish.

The dish literally comes from the words "ranch egg." It was a big hearty dish served in rural Mexican farms with tortillas as the base, eggs, black beans, and ranchero sauce (tomato-based red sauce). From there, the play on the classic dish has commenced with everything from steak, tomatillo sauce, corn cakes, and so much more being added.

Well, I have yet to find a delicious vegan version. I have seen people doing a lot with veggies, but I wanted something a bit more in line with the classic. We focus here on a black bean cake that is topped with a plant egg, slowcooked ranchero sauce, avocado two ways (whole + crema), and finally tortila crisps on the top. 

This dish has a few moving parts. None are very hard but it can take a bit longer 50-60 minutes to get it all together. BUT BUT BUT...the result is fantastic! 

I absolutely devoured every bit of this hearty breakfast! Let's get into it.

Ingredients:

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Vegan Burgers

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 2 medium shallots, diced small
• 1/2 cup carrot, shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup raw pistachios, shelled
• 14oz canned chickpeas, washed, drained, dried
• Spices: 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 2/3 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Crispy Shallots

• 3 shallots
• 1 tbl AP flour
• 1 tbl nutritional yeast
• 1 tbl vegan butter

Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms

• 8 oz oyster mushrooms
• 1 tbl liquid aminos (soy sauce replacement)
• 1 tbl olive oil
• pinch of pepper

Tangy Blue Cheese Sauce

• 1/2 cup vegan mayo
• 3/4 tbl apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tbl miso paste
• Spices: 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp dill, pinch of salt + pepper
• 1/8 block firm tofu, crumbled

Other

• arugula
• 4 ciabatta rolls

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Equipment You'll Need:

Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Food Processor . Mixing Bowls . Grill or Large Frying Pan . Medium Pot . Medium/Small Castiron or Frying Pan . Whisk 

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Before You Cook:

• Wash and cut all fresh ingredients
• Preheat grill to 300F

1. Place 1 cup brown rice in a medium pot with 2 cups of water, bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.

2. While the rice cooks, add olive oil for burgers to a medium frying pan on medium heat. After 30 seconds, add shallots, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 5-6 minutes.

3. To a food processor/high-speed blender add pistachios, chickpeas, chili powder, paprika, oregano, coriander, pepper, and salt. Pulse 10-15 times until the chickpeas are broken down into very small pieces.

4. In a large mixing bowl, add the pulsed mixture. Mix in the sautéed carrot/shallot/garlic mixture. Mix up with your hands and set aside until rice is done.

5. For the crispy shallots, add butter to a cast-iron pan or frying pan over medium-high heat. In a separate bowl, mix the shallots with flour + nutritional yeast.

6. Once the butter starts to pop, add the shallots to the pan and cook on each side for 4-5 minutes. Once done set aside.

7. After the shallots, focus on the mushrooms. Reusing the same pan as from the shallots, add olive oil mushrooms, aminos, and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until the mushrooms are softened and starting to brown. Set aside.

8. Whisk together all the ingredients for the blue cheese sauce in a small mixing bowl and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

9. Once the rice is done, add to the mixing bowl with the pulsed mixture and carrot/shallot/garlic mixture. Add in the brown rice flour and breadcrumbs. Mix it up with your hands until well combined. Form into 4-6 extra large patties with your hands. Set on a plate.

10. Cook burgers over medium heat on a preheated grill or over the stove top in a non-stick pan for 5-6 minutes on each side.

11. Optional step - toast up your ciabatta buns on the grill. To finish, serve the burger, place one patty, 1/4 the mushrooms + shallots, 1/4 the blue cheese sauce, and a handful of arugula on the bun.

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Vegan Huevos Rancheros w/ Spicy Black Bean Cakes, Plant "Egg," Avocado Crema, and Slowcooked Ranchero Sauce When eating vegan, for me, I like to draw inspiration from crowd favorites, though. I looked at that as an amazing opportunity to make my own vegan version of the classic Mexican breakfast dish. The dish literally comes from the words "ranch egg." It was a big hearty dish served in rural Mexican farms with tortillas as the base, eggs, black beans, and ranchero sauce (tomato-based red sauce). From there, the play on the classic dish has commenced with everything from steak, tomatillo sauce, corn cakes, and so much more being added. Well, I have yet to find a delicious vegan version. I have seen people doing a lot with veggies, but I wanted something a bit more in line with the classic. We focus here on a black bean cake that is topped with a plant egg, slowcooked ranchero sauce, avocado two ways (whole + crema), and finally tortila crisps on the top.   Aggregate rating will show here Serves 4 Ingredients: Slowcooked Ranchero Sauce, Vegan Plant Egg, Crispy Tortilla Strips, Spicy Black Bean Cakes, Vegan Avocado Crema, Avocado Slices, Lime Wedges, Fresh Cilantro,