Extra Blog 2 - "Chicago Diner Burger"

The Chicago Diner is one of my favorite restaurants. Located in the heart of Boys Town, the Chicago Diner is a vegetarian restaurant, serving a strictly meat-free menu for over 20 years, and catering to the health-conscious vegetarians and vegans. The recipe below is an excellent substitute for all those burger lovers. The Chicago Diner Burger is made without soy, tofu or beans. Give it a try. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised.

The Chicago Diner Burger

4 cups water1 onion, finely chopped

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)

12 ounce mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

Place the water in a large pot with the onion, celery, soy sauce, onion powder and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in oats, mushrooms and flour and cook 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and chill for at least 1 hour, preferably longer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil baking sheets (see hints below). Shape mixture into burger sized patties and place on baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes (see hints below). Carefully flip over and bake 10 more minutes.

Before serving:

Place baked patties on a non-stick griddle and grill for about 7 minutes on each side, until browned. Serve on buns with Red Pepper Aioli (recipe follows).

Hints: They are quite fragile until after they are baked, so use extra care when flipping them for the first time. Let them rest out of the oven for at least 5 minutes before trying to loosen them from the pans. Use non-stick baking sheets, but still lightly oil them before using. To lightly oil pans, use a very small amount of vegetable oil on a paper towel, and then rub that over the pan.

Red Pepper Aioli

Use this as a topping for the Chicago Diner Burgers, as a dip for raw veggies, or as a spread for crackers or bread.

1 (12.3 oz.) package soft silken tofu

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

dash salt

1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers

Place the tofu in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process until very smooth (this may take several minutes). Refrigerate at least 1 hour for flavors to blend.