Tempeh Mushroom Veggie Burger

Have you ever picked up a box of garden or veggie burgers and been dumbfounded by the never-ending list of ingredients? Who would have thought that there could so few veggies in a veggie burger? What's worse are the frankenburgers (think Boca) that try just a little too hard to be meat. Yuck. Well get ready for a Veggie Burger that actually has (GASP !) real vegetables! I have tried lots of "Veggie Burger" recipes over the years and this one takes the cake (no pun intended). The miso adds great flavor, the tempeh and mushroom texture, and the beets give these burgers that near authentic, raw meat look all vegetarians lust for in a veggie burger (OK, maybe not). The following was adapted from a recipe found in the July/August 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times.

Tempeh-Mushroom-Miso Burgers

4 T. light miso paste
2 (8-oz.) pkgs. tempeh, steamed & grated
3 T. olive oil, divided
1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
2 T. arrowroot powder
1 portobello mushroom, stemmed & grated (about 3/4 c.)
1 small beet, grated (about 3/4 c.)
1 small onion,grated (about 1/2 c.)
1 small carrot, grated (about 1/2 c.)
1/2 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/3 c. red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 c. yellow or orange bell pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

Coat baking sheet with oil or cooking spray. Dilute miso in 1/4 cup water in bowl. Stir in tempeh and 1 1/2 T. oil. Stir in flour and arrowroot powder. Mound tempeh mixture on baking sheet, cover with foil and bake 20 minutes or until heated through. Heat remaining 1 1/2 T. oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, beet, onion, carrot, corn, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Pulse veggies and tempeh mixture in food processor 6 - 7 times until just blended, but do not over-blend. Shape mixture into patties and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight to blend flavors. To grill burgers, preheat grill to medium, brush burgers and grill rack with oil and grill 8 - 10 minutes on each side. Burgers may be cooked in skillet over medium heat. To bake burgers, brush a metal baking pan with oil, place burgers on pan and bake in a preheated 350° oven for about 15 minutes on each side. After cooking, flash freeze burgers on a metal pan (so they won't stick together later) and store them in a ziplock freezer bag. TIP: Use julienne blade on food processor to grate tempeh and veggies.