First off, I know this picture sucks. I took about half a dozen equally bad shots before I got pissed and quit – so, there ya go.

What did not suck, thankfully, was this burger. I’m always on the lookout for unique/creative burger recipes because it’s kind of necessary to really kick things up a notch in the flavor department when you’re not using meat.  This burger is a great example of that.

I served this with Chili Lime Corn on the Cob and Sesame Asparagus, both of which complemented the flavor of the burger quite well.

Vegan Korean BBQ Burgers
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
3 tbs shoyu or soy sauce
1 tbs toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs Match® Ground Beef
Cooking spray
6 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions

• Combine first 8 ingredients. Divide mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2 in. thick patty
• Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 6 min. on each side. Remove from grill
• Place buns, cut sides down, on grill rack. Grill 1 min. or until toasted
• Add lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced radishes or other fixins’ of choice and serve

Yield: Serves 6

We’ve been hitting the grill pretty hard lately since it’s been entirely too hot to cook inside over the past week or two. These puppies are the fruit of some of that labor and they’re pretty darn good.

We’re not even halfway through August yet, so there’s still plenty of time left to avoid your stove and toss these on the grill!

Balsamic Portobello Burgers
Recipe courtesy of Everyday Food via YumSugar

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for grates
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 4 equal pieces
4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
4 lettuce leaves

Directions

• In a shallow dish, whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper
• Add bell pepper and mushrooms, toss gently to coat. Marinate at room temp for 30 min (or refrigerate, up to overnight)
• Heat grill to medium, lightly oil grates. Grill bell pepper, skin side down, until blackened, about 10 min., remove from grill
• When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin, set aside
• Grill mushrooms, covered, until lightly charred and tender, 3 to 4 min. per side
• Place mushrooms on buns, top with lettuce and pepper and serve

Yield: Serves 4

I saved the best for last!

Here’s the final recipe in this week’s “Match”-themed posts. These chicken burgers are inventive, delicious and really great straight off the grill, piled high with guacamole and vegan cheddar cheese. The patties are equally good as leftovers, with or without the fixins. Either way, you can’t go wrong!

Match Chicken Burgers
Recipe Inspired by Health.com

Ingredients

1/2 tsp pepper
Cooking spray
1/3 cup Daiya Shredded Cheddar cheese
4 whole wheat buns, toasted
Toppings: chopped tomatoes, guacamole
1 lb Match ground chicken
3 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
3 tbs seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt

Directions

• Mix thawed chicken, cilantro, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl
• Form into 4 (1-inch-thick) patties
• Coat grill with cooking spray
• Grill patties over medium-high heat 6 minutes, turning, until burgers are cooked through
• Top evenly with Cheddar, let melt
• Serve on buns with tomatoes and guacamole

Yield: Serves 4