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Sunday 25 January 2015

How To Prepare Ace Organic Veggie Burgers

By Janine Hughes


There was a time when vegetarians were regarded as freaks. They were mocked as health nuts who had to have specially prepared meals at restaurants and meals with friends and family. Today, vegetarians are coming out of the closet in droves and specialty vegetarian-only restaurants are popping up all over. Not only are people unafraid to confess to this dietary peculiarity, they can walk into any fast food or other restaurant and order organic veggie burgers.

The ordinary Joe on the street hears, "organic, " and thinks, "chemical-free pesticides and fertilizers." That's just horse manure. Today, national government set the standards that include ecological balance, biodiversity and conservation of resources. Organic farmers also avoid using genetically-modified seeds and other products.

Many commercial vegetable patties use soy as a main ingredient. In many cases, the soy is extracted using hexane, a carcinogenic hydrocarbon. Hexane has been linked to both neurotoxicity and brain tumors. The FDA has not yet set a safe limit on the amount of hexane that food producers may use so nobody really knows how much is safe.

Another advantage of organic fruits and vegetables is they haven't had all taste and nutritive value bred out of them in the interest of increasing yields and resistance to pests. Organic growing methods preserve these. Going organic used to mean going broke. Now, with wide interest in healthier eating, prices have come down. Think of it as an important investment in your health. A healthy worker is a productive workers, attractive to well-paying employers.

If you want to know exactly what is going into your patty mix and you want it to be both tasty and healthy, it is easy to make it yourself. Experiment with different base mixtures, like potatoes and breadcrumbs, or chopped nuts and vegetables. While soy-based mixtures are popular, read the label carefully to make sure it does not contain hexane. Most recipes can be prepared ahead and either refrigerated or frozen. This way, you can give the hostess a break when you go to a dinner party or barbecue.

Nut-based mixtures are popular, healthy and tasty. Toss a handful of shelled nuts into the blender or food processor, add a few vegetables and maybe an egg to hold it together if you are not a vegan. Lentils also make an excellent base for a patty mixture. Find a recipe or two to guide you on the basics and have fun experimenting.

Sweet potatoes, or even white potatoes, form a good basis for vegetable patties, as are lentils. Bulk the mix up with breadcrumbs or panko. Experiment with different vegetables and flavorings and you're good to go. Cereal grains like quinoa make good patty mixtures. Scale the recipe up and you have the basis for a tasty vegetarian loaf as a substitute for meat loaf.

The beauty of preparing your own organic vegetarian patty mixture is you can tailor it to your own needs and tastes. If you have a nut allergy, for instance, you can bring your own and know exactly what you are getting. Vegetable burgers are here to stay. As more and more people are gravitating toward healthy eating plans, they can be part of a nutritious, satisfying diet.




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