We all know that fast food is packed with calories, fats, sugars, and everything else that we love to eat, but are told will eventually kill us, poison us, or deform us. So, it comes with some relief to know that not only can these evil foods be transformed into something healthier, they can also be concocted in the sanctuary of our own kitchens! Todd Wilbur makes his living from cloning brand-name foods, and replicating low-fat versions is perhaps his biggest challenge yet
In the early eighties, at his Gardenhouse restaurant, Chef Paul Wenner created a unique meatless patty to replace hamburgers. The patty which contained mushrooms, brown rice, onions, oats, and low-fat cheeses, was dubbed the Gardenburger and quickly became a hit. Soon, Wenner closed his restaurant and began to concentrate on marketing his meatless, low-fat creation to a hungry health-conscious America. Today Gardenburger patties can be found in more than 35,000 food service outlets around the world, and more than 20,000 stores.
Now you can make a surprisingly accurate clone of the real thing with the same type of ingredients Wenner uses. Most of the ingredients can be found at your local supermarket, although you may have to go to a health food store for the bulgur wheat. And if you jog over there, you can burn off what little calories you gain from this amazing kitchen clone.
Makes 6 veggie patties
2 tablespoons bulgur wheat
1 pound mushrooms, quartered (4 cups steamed)
1 cup diced onion (1/2 cup steamed)
1/2 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Olive oil cooking spray
Add 1/4 cup boiling water to the bulgur wheat in a small bowl and let it sit for about 60 minutes. The wheat will swell to about double in size.
Steam the quartered mushrooms for 10 minutes or until tender; then remove them from your steamer; and replace with the onion. Steam the diced onion for 10 minutes or until the pieces are translucent. Keep these two ingredients separate, and set aside.
Add 1/2 cup of water to the oats and let them soak for about 10 minutes, until soft.
Drain any excess water from the bulgur wheat and oats then combine the grains with the steamed mushrooms, rice, cheeses, and spices in a food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times until ingredients are chopped fine, but not pureed. You want a coarse texture with some identifiable chunks of grain, mushroom, and cheese.
Pour the mixture into a bowl with the steamed onion and cornstarch, and mix well.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and set a large skillet over medium/low heat.
Spray the skillet with a light coating of olive oil cooking spray Measure 1/2 cup at a time of the patty mixture into the pan and shape with a spoon into a 3 3/4-inch patty that is approximately 1/2-inch thick. Cook the patties in batches for 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until light brown on the surface.
When all of the patties have been cooked in the skillet, arrange them on a lightly sprayed baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the oven. Be sure to turn them over halfway through the cooking time. You can serve the patties immediately or freeze them, like the original, when they have cooled.
If you freeze the patties, you can reheat them several ways. Simply spray a light coating of olive oil cooking spray on each side and heat each patty in a pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until it is hot in the center: You can also use a grill to prepare the patties. Just be sure to spray each frozen patty with the oil, and be sure the flames are low. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Those are the best cooking methods; however; you can also prepare a frozen patty by microwaving it for 30 to 35 seconds, then turning the patty over and zapping it for another 30 to 35 seconds. Finally, you can heat a frozen patty in the microwave for 30 to 35 seconds, then place the partially defrosted patty in a toaster or toaster oven and cook it on medium heat until it's hot in the center.
Tidbits If your food processor is too small to hold all of the ingredients, simply divide the ingredients and process one half at a time, or cut the recipe in half Bulgur wheat can be found in most health food stores, and even some supermarkets carry it.
