Meatless Monday with the Vegan Eggplant Crunchburger

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog for the latest edition of our Meatless Monday vegan recipe share series. Miratel took the Meatless Monday pledge to support reducing meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week to preserve the health of our planet. We consider our support of this great movement part of our CSR business strategies as it spreads awareness of the impact of our food choices on our environment.

It might seem intimidating to think of a meat-free meal especially during burger season but fear not – our weekly recipe is here to help. Today’s recipe for the vegan eggplant crunchburger is truly exquisite and was inspired by Bobby Flay’s signature burger, The Crunchburger. It may not be the healthiest vegan meal option but it will satisfy the burger craving of even the staunchest carnivore because “It’s big, it’s messy, it’s incredibly delicious.” This excellent recipe comes courtesy of one of our favourite vegan resources, One Green Planet. It has a few steps but well worth every one – trust me.

For the Horseradish Mustard Mayo

• 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbs. prepared horseradish
• A pinch of dried tarragon
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the eggplant burgers

• 1 large or 2 medium eggplants, peeled and cubed
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1 cup vegan cheese shreds, any flavor
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• ½ tsp. Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup bread crumbs

For the toppings

• 1 cup vegan cheese, either slices or shreds (as long as it melts)
• 4 hambuger buns
• 4 slices beefsteak tomato
• 4 leaves romaine lettuce
• 4 slices red onion
• Horseradish Mustard Mayonnaise (recipe above)
• 4 handfuls of potato chips

PREPARATION

For the Horseradish Mustard Mayo

1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and horseradish in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
3. The sauce can be prepared 1 day in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.

To make the Eggplant Burgers

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant cubes and sauté until they are browned and very soft, about 10-12 minutes. Make sure they are super-soft because they need to be mashed. You could also roast the eggplant to make it soft.
2. Transfer the eggplant to a large bowl. Mash the eggplant up until there are no whole pieces left. I use a potato masher to do this. Once you have a big bowl of mush, add the shallot, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley. Mix it into the eggplant. Add the bread crumbs. Don’t add them all at once; you want to feel the mix and see whether you need a whole cup. I add ½ cup of bread crumbs and mix it.
3. The best way to mix it is wet your hands and use one hand (keep the other hand clean) to gently mix the crumbs into the eggplant. You will probably need more crumbs so add another ¼ cup and mix it again. You want the consistency to feel firm, like it will hold up as a burger. If it feels too moist, add the last ¼ cup of bread crumbs. Usually, I end up using the whole cup of crumbs.
4. Put the eggplant mixture into the fridge for about 30 minutes. Take the bowl out of the fridge and with your hand, divide the mixture into 4 parts. To form the burgers, I use a 3 ½ inch cookie cutter. I spray it with a bit of cooking oil spray and then pack the eggplant mixture into the cookie cutter. Pat it down, let it sit for about 20 seconds and then gently lift the cookie cutter off. Let your perfect burger sit for a few minutes undisturbed while you make the other 3 burgers.
5. In the same skillet that you sautéed the eggplant in (but cleaned), heat the other Tbs. of oil over medium-high heat and add the burgers to the pan. Let cook until slightly browned on one side and (this is very important), you can lift the burger with a spatula without breaking it. I use 2 spatulas to gently turn the burgers. Flip them and let them cook on the other side. When the 2nd side gets golden brown, flip them back over and let the first side cook until golden brown.

To make the Vegan Crunchburgers

1. Top the burgers with either 2 slices or ¼ cup of vegan cheese. Add about a Tbs. of water to the pan and cover it. This will create steam and allow the cheese to melt and get ooey-gooey.
2. If you want your buns toasty, put on some pants. If you want your burger buns toasty, preheat the broiler while you are cooking the burgers. Split the buns and put the halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet and cook them until they are lightly golden brown, about 30 seconds. Don’t burn them!!
3. Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and, if desired, top with tomato, lettuce, onion, and a dollop of horseradish mustard mayonnaise. Pile on the potato chips, top with the bun tops, and serve immediately. Make sure you have tons of napkins because it’s going to be messy.

This recipe makes 4 burgers and can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free bread crumbs and hamburger buns.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

___________________________________________________________________________________

For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including PCI compliant inbound telephone fundraising, outbound telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery fundraising services, donation processing and receipting and direct mail fundraising services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all our business decisions  and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.