Vegan Cooking Day

Today (Sunday), I decided to designate as my Vegan Cooking Day. I made a few things that take time normally to put together: homemade seitan, baked tofu, and black bean burgers.

I took the first two recipes straight from Vegan Planet, Revised Edition: 425 Irresistible Recipes With Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World. The last, I made on my own. Seitan has an ... interesting (I feel the need to be diplomatic here) ... texture. I'm not sure if I will want to eat it, but I figure I should at least give it a try. It was fun to make. It took about 2 hours, and quite a bit of flour and water (9 cups and 16 cups, respectively)!

Black Bean Burgers
1 can black beans - drained, rinsed, then mashed
approx. 1 1/2 c. brown rice - cooked
1/2 yellow onion - minced
2 cloves garlic - chopped
dash (each) salt & pepper
1 t. chili powder
1/4 c. chopped mushrooms
4 T. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/4 c. diced tomatoes (I used them from a can)
1/2 can yellow corn
1/4 c. oil (I used canola)

Mix together in a bowl and pat into burgers. Sprinkle with parsley flakes. "Fry" in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Cook about 1 1/2 minutes each side. Can be frozen or eaten then and there. Yum! Makes about 12-15, depending on the size and thickness.