In my former incarnation as an omnivore, I ate a lot of cheeseburgers. I ate a lot of good cheeseburgers. I ate a lot of great cheeseburgers. A Johnny Rockets single with cheese. An-In-Out cheeseburger. Homemade cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers prepared by chefs at The Palm, Morton’s Steakhouse, The Garden Bar at the Montage, The National at The Benjamin Hotel… You get the picture. I know a cheeseburger. I know a good cheeseburger. I know a great cheeseburger.
Being vegan hasn’t changed that knowledge.
What’s changed has been finding that great umami burger flavor combined with a juicy interior and a good char on the outside without doing any harm to an animal.
Like many vegans, it wasn’t the taste that changed my eating habits; it was the ethics of eating an animal.
And so, I present to you a great cheeseburger, in every measure of the word great. Not the least of which it has only 3 ingredients and one isn’t salt! So easy to prepare!
First and foremost, I am an Impossible Meat kinda gal. It’s quite a good replica of standard chopped meat in taste, texture and cooking. If you prefer Beyond Beef or another brand, feel free to substitute that.
Second is getting that umami flavor, the juicy interior and the blackened char on the exterior of the burger itself. I discovered the perfect ingredient right at our beloved Larchmont Farmers Market. Arnett Farms Onion and Fig with Guinness Marmalade. Yes! That’s the second of the three ingredients in this burger. The jam adds umami juiciness to the inside while allowing the exterior to char from the sugars in the jam.
Third is finding a plant-based cheese that closely replicates dairy cheese. That’s harder to find. I have tasted a lot of vegan cheeses. The one that works best on burgers in taste and melt-ability is Follow Your Heart American Cheese slices. Perfect for presenting a July 4th Burger.
Just add toppings. I keep it classic. I make a special sauce with only 2 ingredients. Recipe follows. I serve the burgers with lettuce, tomatoes (check out the patriotic red and blue variety from Country Fresh Herbs) sliced red onions and sweet pickle slices.
Serve your Cheezeburgers with last week’s recipe for Macaroni Salad and watermelon wedges. All vegan. All delicious. I guarantee you’ll have happy guests at your dinner table.
A happy and safe Fourth to you all! And remember, no fireworks! Let’s keep our pets safe.
The Perfect Cheezeburger
Makes 4 big and juicy burgers
2 12 oz. packages of Impossible Meat
2 heaping T of Arnett Farms Onion and Fig with Guinness Marmalade
Cooking oil
4 slice of Follow Your Heart American Slices or other vegan slices
Special Sauce (Recipe follows)
Bibb lettuce
Sliced heirloom tomatoes
Sliced red onion
Bread and butter pickles (I love Bubbie’s)
4 hamburger buns (I love Dave’s)
Oil your grill and turn on to medium heat. Combine the Impossible Meat with the 2 Tablespoons of marmalade. Form into 4 equal patties. Brush the patties with a little of the cooking oil to help keep them from sticking to the grill. When the grates are hot, put the burgers on. Cook about 3-4 minutes and then flip. Put the cheese on immediately and cook another few minutes until charred on the second side. Serve on a bun with all of the fixings. All grills are different, so you’ll have to gauge the cooking temperature and time.
Special Sauce
4 T vegan mayonnaise
4 T chili sauce (I love Homade)
Mix until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
