Sunny Mushroom Veggie Bean Burgers.

These tender savory Sunny Mushroom Burgers or Nuggets are packed with healthy stuff like beans, mushrooms and veggie protein. Savory, slightly cheezy, a hint of sweetness with accents of earthy flavors.

Fun Fact: mushrooms are one of the only natural vegan sources of vitamin D.

Enjoy as a super amazing veggie burger - or make into tiny dippable nuggets - I love stuffing falafel-sized bites into pitas, wraps or over pasta. Add a slathering of Dijon mustard, Vegenaise - pile on some fresh slices of tomato and crisp leaves of lettuce. Pickle, onion - you know the veggie burger drill. Side of sweet potato fries and a tall cool drink on the side.

Cheers to this delicious, family-approved, vegan dinner!..

Sunny Mushroom Burgers or Nuggets
makes about 22 nuggets or ten burgers (save leftovers in fridge or even freeze them)

spices:
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
¼ teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
a few dashes pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoon salt-free spice blend - any variety you'd like
½ cup nutritional yeast + (add more if you’d like more cheezy flavor)
1 tablespoon mushroom powder (optional, I used Dole brand since it adds lots of vitamin D)

liquid:
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple or agave syrup
2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoon oil (olive, safflower, walnut..)
¾ cup water (or veggie broth for added flavor – if using broth remove the added salt)

base:
1 ½ cups TVP or teaspoon (textured veggie protein)
*if you can't find or don't like TVP, you can sub with brown rice - however you may have to add some more dry ingredients to account for the added moisture. Bread crumbs would be an easy fix. Or more nutritional yeast.
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1 ½ cups mushrooms, chopped (any variety!)
⅓ cup diced onion, sweet or white
½ cup whole wheat flour

Saute in 1-2 tablespoon safflower oil (or bake at 375 degrees for about twenty minutes)

To make:

1. Combine all the spices in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add in the liquids and the base ingredients. Grab a large fork and start mashing well – especially the beans. Try to break them down as much as possible so they provide a sticky agent which binds the patties together. The TVP will begin absorbing the liquid as well to thicken the mix.

3. Next, add in the flour. You can add in a tablespoon at a time until you are comfortable with the consistency. You want the mixture to be like a very wet bean patty. If you need to absorb even more moisture, add in more flour or try bread crumbs. More nutritional yeast could also be added.

4. Turn a nonstick skillet on med-high heat – add about 1-2 tablespoon of safflower oil. Safflower oil is perfect because it gives these patties or nuggets crispy edges.

5. When oil is hot, grab golf ball sized balls for nuggets - or patty-sized for burgers. Coat them lightly in some flour or panko bread crumbs or nutritional yeast for texture - then plop onto the hot skillet. Allow each side to cook for about a minute or two for nuggets - 2-3 minutes for burgers. Try not to burn, but you do want a nice brown color to the exterior.

Yes, you could also bake these burgers!

6. Place on a paper towel to rest a few minutes – they will further bind as they cool – serve hot.

Serve with plentiful veggie burger fixins' and enjoy your sunny mushroom-infused feast.