Red Rice Burgers

Looking for a gluten-free veggie burger that’s yummy? Well look no more! This recipe uses red rice with a combination of spices for a “meaty” texture and a taste that satisfies. Just be sure to choose certified gluten-free brands when shopping for the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup red rice, or brown rice if you prefer.
• 1 1/4 cup water, or homemade Simple Vegetable Broth, or store-bought gluten-free vegetable broth
• pinch of Celtic sea salt, or other smoked salt (optional)
• 1 recipe Flax Seed ‘Eggs’ (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds and 3 tablespoons warm water)
• 1/2 medium size onion, finely chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons raw hulled hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free and reduced sodium tamari sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 recipe Gluten-Free Bread Sticks, for burger buns (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium size pot, rinse and drain the red rice more than once, or until the water is clear (no loner cloudy). Add the cooking water or broth. Bring to a boil. Add the smoked salt, if using. Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 30 minutes, without lifting the lid. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, make the Flax Seed ‘Egg’ by whisking together 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds and 3 tablespoons water. Let sit for 3 minutes or until gooey.
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Add the cooked red rice and mix some more, until well combined.
4. Cover with a lid or plastic warp and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Line a 16-inch x 12-inch x 1-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Take 3 level tablespoons of mixture, pat and roll it in the palms or your hands form a ball. To make the ball tightly packed, toss it back and forth between your two hands, then flatten the ball by patting it into a 3-inch round patty. Place the patty on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Try not to let the patties touch one another when placing them on the parchment paper.
6. Bake in a 350º F preheated oven for 3o minutes, then flip and bake an additional 10 minutes, and serve! If you want your burger nestled in a bun, try our recipe for Gluten-Free Bread Sticks. You just have to cut the bread into 3-inch squares; not rectangular sticks as the recipe suggests.

Variations:

1. Don’t forget the condiments. Spread on top of cooked burgers some Homemade Ketchup, Vegan Mayo, Spicy Brown Mustard, or Dill Dressing.
2. If you like, top cooked burgers with shreds of lettuce and sliced tomato,
3. For added zing, top cooked burgers with thinly sliced jalapeño peppers to taste
4. Top cooked burgers with Delicious Nut Butter. This may seem odd to some, but as they say, “don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it.”

Yield:
Makes 8 burgers.