Mini Vegan ‘Cheeseburgers’

These vegan and gluten-free ‘cheeseburgers’ are super tasty! And their mini size means that they can be served as hors d’oeuvres, appetizers, or snacks, or you can have a bunch for lunch!

Bun Ingredients:

• 2 cups Masa Harina*
• 1 cup hot water

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup cilantro, large stems removed
• 2 tablespoons San-J Gluten Free Reduced Sodium Tamari, or other brand
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
• dash chipotle powder
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt (optional)

Vegan Cheese Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashews, soaked 2 hours, drained
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup filtered water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Directions:

1. Place the Masa Harina and hot water in a medium size bowl and mix with a large wooden spoon until cool enough to touch, then kneed into a soft dough. If too dry, add a little more water. If too sticky, add a little more flour. Roll the dough into a large ball. Cut the ball in half, to make the dough more manageable, then roll each half into a ball.
2. Place one ball of dough between two large pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to 1/16-inch thick or slightly thinner. Because, if the buns are too thick they may not cook through to the center.
3. Cut the dough using a 2 1/4-inch square or round cutter, to make 20 or more buns.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3, for a total of 40 or more buns.
5. In a dry cast iron skillet that’s been preheated to medium heat, cook the buns in batches of 3 or 4 at a time, for 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook for an additional 1 minute, or until cooked through with a few brown spots hear and there. Use the spatula to press down on the buns, and flip a few times, to be sure they are fully cooked. Transfer to a sheet of wax paper placed on a flat surface. Cover with a clean, dry cloth to keep warm until ready for use.
6. To make the filling, add all the filling ingredients to a food processor bowl and process for 30 seconds or until well combined and sticks together. Don’t over process, to maintain a little texture. Transfer to a large bowl, then set aside. Wash and dry the food processor bowl.
7. Add all the vegan cheese ingredients to the clean food processor bowl and process for 2 minutes or until completely smooth.
8. To assemble, place half of the buns on a large serving platter, top each with a heaping teaspoon of filling, followed by 1/2 teaspoon of the vegan cheese, then cover them all with the remaining buns, and serve!

Variations:

1. Before you add the filling, place on the bottom bun 1 or 2 baby spinach leaves.
2. These mini burgers are tasty without the need of condiments, but if desired you can place under the top bun a dollop of Homemade Ketchup, Vegan Mayo, or Spicy Brown Mustard.
3. After you add the vegan cheese filling, add a desired amount of diced red bell pepper.
4. Replace the Masa Harina buns with Socca, which is a type of flatbread made with chickpea flower. Just double our recipe for Socca, and either cut the bread into smaller pieces than what’s suggested, or cut to the suggested size for larger vegan ‘cheeseburgers.’

Yield:
Makes 20 or more appetizers