Sunday, January 25, 2015

What Everyone Is Saying About 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.

In the effort to make food more resistant to pests and increasing crop yields, somehow, both the flavor and nutritional value of commercially grown fruits and vegetables appear to be on the decline. This is partly down to selective breeding, methods of which are becoming more and more technologically advanced. Organic produce retains both nutritive value and taste.

Making your own vegetarian patty mixture is healthy and fun. You can make it up before going to dinner parties or barbecues. There are loads of recipes available, all of which have an infinite number of variations. Not all are based on soy, but if you do decide to include this as an ingredient, make sure it does not contain hexane.

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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