Grill-able Vegan/Veggie Burgers

We're not vegetarians, but that doesn't mean that we don't enjoy a hearty veggie burger every now & then. Now that summer is (kind of) approaching, we are getting into grilling mode & thus, I wanted to find the most perfect veggie burger to meet our needs.

There haven't been many veggie burgers that I have eaten that have been completely satisfying. Usually when I really enjoy a veggie burger, it's not the "burger" itself that I enjoy, but the mounds & mounds of toppings that are layered on the burger to make it taste decent. And if you've ever tried grilling a veggie burger, you know how frustrating they can be. Heck, they usually aren't the greatest at keeping it together even on a frying pan!

I was delighted to find this recipe from Oh She Glows (you really need to check out her recipes- this recipe for creamy avocado pasta is one of our all-time favorites!) & now this will become our staple summer veggie burger. It is crunchy, hearty, satisfying, packed full of flavor, nutritious, & very tasty. What more could you want in a veggie burger?

There aren't any super strange ingredients either- in fact, I had everything I needed on hand to make these. I didn't end up pureeing the black beans, which I overlooked in the directions, & they still stayed together very well. I will, however puree them in the future because I think they would make the burgers even more moist & easy to shape.

A bunch of ladies are coming over to my house next week to have a massive veggie burger making party. We're planning to use this recipe & make over 100 burgers & freeze them for all of our church's summer BBQ's. I've already purchased most of the ingredients & I'm so excited to make these together! What could be more fun than a bunch of women in the kitchen, preparing some hearty, good-for-you foods to enjoy all summer long?!

Do you have any veggie burger recipes that stay together while grilling? Please share!

Grill-able Vegan/Veggie Burgers

Ingredients
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
Flax eggs: 2.5 tbsp ground flax + 1/2 cup warm water, mixed in bowl
1 cup oats, processed into flour
1.5 cups bread crumbs
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed & roughly pureed or mashed
Heaping 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
Kosher salt & black pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 (if baking or grilling). In a large skillet, sauté the onions & garlic in 1/2 tbsp oil. Mix your flax egg together in a small bowl & set aside for at least 10 mins while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place all ingredients (except spices & salt) into a large mixing bowl & stir very well. Now, add seasonings & salt to taste.

With slightly wet hands, shape dough into patties. Pack dough tightly as this will help it stick together. I made 8 medium patties.

You can either fry, bake, or grill these burgers. You can fry the burgers in a bit of oil on a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side. If baking in the oven, bake for 25-30 mins (15-17 minutes on each side), until golden & crisp. For the the grill, pre-bake the burgers for about 10 minutes in oven before placing on a pre-heated grill until golden & crisp on each side. This will help them to stay together on the grill.

Recipe taken from Oh She Glows