The $5,000 Meatless Monday Veggie Burger

It seems that veggie burgers are scoring high on the restaurant popularity chart, according to an article in The New York Times titled "The Veggie Burgers Ascent." 

Meatless Monday has been an avid fan of veggie burgers. In fact, The 2016 Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Meatless Monday Recipe Contest challenged teen chefs to "get the beef off their buns" by creating innovative veggie burger recipes.

The $5,000 grand prize winner is the Kimchi Tofu Burger from Eubene Kim of Chatsworth Charter School in Los Angeles, California. We asked Eubene Kim to share a little more about his award-winning burger.

How did you come up with the idea for your winning recipe for the Meatless Monday competition?

"The theme was a burger recipe and many ideas ran through my head for a healthy, yet delicious recipe. Coming from a Korean background, I wanted to revolve my recipe around the culture that shaped my taste. The most iconic Korean side dish known all around the world is kimchi. Because kimchi is very nutritious I looked at many different ingredients that go well with kimchi. Using the recipe of a kimchi stew known as Kimchi Chigae, I used tofu as my base to add the proteins that meat is known for. Figuring out what works best with kimchi and tofu, I used traditional ingredients, spinach, mushrooms, onions, and garlic to enhance the taste and give a taste that screams Korean."

Here is Eubene's $5,000 Meatless Monday award-winning recipe for Kimchi Tofu Burger.

Serves 6

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 ounces cremini mushrooms, finely chopped

12 ounces extra firm tofu

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup spinach, roughly chopped

1 cup panko bread crumbs 

2 1/2 cups kimchi

1/4 cup kimchi juice

1-1/2 cups bread crumbs, extra

6 whole grain bread rolls (or gluten free rolls)

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup red pepper paste

2 ounces baby spinach leaves, for garnish

1 egg

In a pan, heat about a teaspoon of olive oil and saute the onions until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes and cool slightly. In a food processor, blend the tofu with garlic and spinach. Blend until smooth. Transfer this to a bowl and stir in the onion-mushroom mixture, breadcrumbs, kimchi, and kimchi juice. Stir until well mixed and then refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Divide this mixture into 6 patties, pressing together well. Coat them well with the extra breadcrumbs. In a pan add some olive oil to coat the pan and pan fry the patties. Cook them 3-4 minutes on each side or until they are golden. Make sure to turn them carefully to prevent them from breaking up. Drain on paper towels. Mix together the mayo and the red pepper paste. Cook the egg in a pan and place on top of the burger. Assemble. Add spinach on top of the burger.

For more tempting veggie burger recipes, check out the Monday Burgers Cookbook and get the beef of your buns.