Do something nice for your dad this Father’s Day. And by ‘nice’, I mean, show him you love him and his cholesterol level by making him some homemade (and yummy) veggie burgers!

Make a big ‘ol batch and then grill one up for your dad this Sunday and freeze the rest. They’re also great pan fried in some olive oil or crumbled over a salad. The patty is a complete meal of protein (beans), complex carbs (brown rice) and veggies!

Mr. Kate’s DIY Veggie Burgers (vegan and gluten free)

What You Need:

• 10 oz of cooked rice (or 1 package of pre-cooked frozen rice from Trader Joe’s)
• 17 oz cooked lentils (or 1 package of pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 jalapeno  – chopped (optional)
• 1.5 cups of quick cook oats
• 1/2 can of black beans1/2 can of pinto beans
• 4 cloves of garlic – minced
• 2 tablespoons of ketchup
• 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of smokey seasoning (to taste)
• 2 teaspoons of black pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch

DO IT!:

1. Prep all of your ingredients, i.e. cook your rice, lentils and beans (if you’re not using pre-cooked canned, pre-steamed or frozen options) and chop your veggies. No need to pre-cook your oats, they’ll cook when you heat your finished patty.
2. Mix all your ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Finely mince your mixture in a food processor.
4. Form pureed mixture into burger patties – make them whatever size you want. tip: moisten hands with water to avoid patty sticking to hands.
5. Stack patties together with waxed or butcher paper in between each patty (so they don’t stick in fridge or freezer).
6. Freeze for future use.
7. To cook/heat: thaw and heat on a grill (use a dollop of Earth Balance on top), in an oven or in a skillet with olive oil. Eat like a burger or crumble on a salad!

Check out more of my original recipes here!

Check out more recipes on HelloGiggles here!

All photos via mrkate.com