Asian Veggie Burgers with Sriracha Slaw

These Asian Veggie Burgers with Sriracha Slaw combine two of my loves: hamburgers and Asian-inspired flavors. But in the spirit of the new year and our newly established healthy eating goals (we’ve all made them, right?), I skipped the meat and turned these into amazing veggie burgers. I was super skeptical about how this wacky combo would go down. But let me tell you, I’ve been eating these veggie burgers for the past 3 days, and I’m not even tired of it. My husband who’s a total meat and potatoes lover? He’s taken them to work for lunch all week.

The key is to pack a bunch of flavor into these babies. Because let’s face it…brown rice, cashews, zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms alone sound a bit bland. But add in some fresh garlic, ginger, and green onion, a hit of chili garlic sauce, and a splash of soy sauce, and you’re on your way to something awesome.

The food processor is your friend for this recipe. You’ll start by grinding up the cashews into crumbs and adding in those hits of flavor I just mentioned along with plenty of hearty brown rice and eggs for binding. Once this becomes a less-than-beautiful pasty mixture, you’ll combine it with the zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms. Use whichever mushrooms you love the most, but I just had to go with shiitake mushrooms. Their flavor is unmatched and gives these burgers an extra special Asian flair.

Cooking the veggies burgers is an easy 2-step process. Heat a large skillet on the stove and sear the burgers for a few minutes on each side until a deep golden brown crust forms. Then transfer the burgers to a large baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Why the second step? In my first go-around of this recipe, I noticed that with pan-frying alone, the outside of the burgers were cooked perfectly, but the insides were still raw. An extra bit of cooking in the oven will ensure the burgers firm up and are cooked through.

And while the burgers are in the oven, it’s time to prepare the easy sriracha slaw because what’s an Asian veggie burger without a crunchy, spicy, and tangy topping? First, whisk up the dressing in a large bowl and then toss in the chopped veggies for easy, one-bowl preparation.

To serve the veggie burgers and slaw, you have a few options: eat them the traditional way in a whole wheat bun, tuck them into a lettuce leaf, or serve the burgers on a bed of the sriracha slaw. My preferred method? In the bun, of course, with a pile of slaw, a sizable drizzle of sriracha mayo, a sprinkle of chopped cashews, and cilantro. How’s THAT for a healthy, vegetarian meal?

It’s wholesome and so filling, and it will send your tastebuds to heaven, I promise. Excuse me while I go heat up the last (wahh!) burger for lunch!

Asian Veggie Burgers with Sriracha Slaw

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: Krista

Serves: 6 burgers

Ingredients

Burgers:

• 1½ cups cashews
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 green onions
• 1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• ¼ cup oil, divided

Slaw:

• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon peanut butter
• 1½ tablespoons sriracha
• ½ tablespoon honey
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 1 head red cabbage, shredded
• 2 green onions, chopped

Fixings:

• 4 (6) buns or large lettuce leaves
• Sriracha mayo
• Chopped cashews
• Cilantro

Instructions

1. Make the burgers: Preheat the oven to 350. Pulse the cashews in a food processor until the texture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the garlic, green onions, ginger, eggs, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and rice. Pulse until the mixture resembles a chunky paste. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Pat the shredded carrots and zucchini with paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. Stir in the mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini. Form into 6 patties. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the burgers for about 5 minutes per side or until deep golden brown. Do this in two batches. Transfer the burgers to a lined baking sheet and pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
2. Make the slaw: Add the sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, sriracha, and honey to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add in the carrots, red cabbage, and green onion, and toss to combine.
3. Assemble: Place each burger in a bun or lettuce leaf. Top with the slaw, chopped cashews, cilantro, and sriracha mayo.

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