Tofu Patties

B. seems to have taken an interest to tofu in the past few months. To be honest, I don't think it comes from a desire to be healthy or to move toward vegetarianism (ha!) but probably more from an I'm-too-lazy-to-go-grocery-shopping-and-tofu-keeps-for-a-while perspective.

We'd been meaning to make these tofu burgers/patties for some time, but we never got any BBQ weather during our short-lived summer (and I imagine it would take extra work to prepare a BBQ that hasn't been used for three years!) An article in the Herald featuring the Veggie Burger Madness blog (and his book, Veggie Burgers Every Which Way) re-sparked our interest in veggie burgers. Unfortunately, the website was a little overwhelming for us veggie burger novices, so we clicked back to this simple recipe from 101 Cookbooks.


If you have a good food processor, this recipe is super-easy - throw the ingredients directly into the food processor, blend, shape into patties and grill (or fry, broil or bake). Since we only have a blender, we had to mix our burgers in batches and do a lot of poking and scraping down sides in between.


Clearly B. likes his burgers big, because out of a recipe that is supposed to yield six patties (eight, technically, but we could only find tofu in 350-g packages at the store), he was only able to make four.


The patties are a little dry, so they would be great as a burger slathered with condiments. I think I'd also try adding a bit of grated zucchini or carrot to bump up the moisture.

Despite their dry, clearly-not-a-meat-burger-ness, there's something about them that sort of grows on you. The cashews and sunflower seeds add texture and some nutty notes, while I'm sure the mushrooms are there for their umami qualities. Especially with the cumin, the patties remind me a little bit of falafel.

Tofu Patties
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Makes 8 patties

• 1 lb (454 g) extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry and sliced
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• ½ cup (125 mL/55 g) bread crumbs, or panko
  
• ½ cup (125 mL/55 g) cashews
  
• ½ cup (125 mL/55 g) sunflower seeds
  
• ½ cup (125 mL/55 g) mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) cumin
  
• ½ tsp (2 mL) cayenne pepper
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Place all the ingredients, except olive oil, into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture starts to come together, forming a paste. You may need to scrape the sides down once or twice. If the mixture is too thin, add a bit more bread crumbs; if it's too dry, thin it out with some water.
   
2. Divide the mixture into eight equal portions (a scale may be good for this if you are anal like that) and shape into round, slightly flattened patties.
   
3. Pour olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange patties on skillet and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. (We used a Foreman grill and it took us a little less time.) Serve with your favourite burger fixings, or enjoy as a patty crumbled on top of a salad or served alongside some risotto.

Nutrition Info (per patty): 215 calories, 14 g fat (2 g saturated), 52 mg cholesterol, 11 g carbohydrate (2 g fibre, 2 g sugar), 12 g protein, 208 mg sodium. An excellent source of magnesium, copper, manganese and selenium. A good source of thiamin (vitamin B₁), folate (vitamin B₄), iron, phosphorus and zinc.