I can't tell you enough how much I love San Diego, but I do miss ONE thing (aside from my friends and family in AZ) more than life itself . . . Houston's of course!
Houston's (aka Hillstone) has been a once a week visit for me since I was in high school. I have so many favorites on the menu there, but my go-to is always the veggie burger. I started ordering the veggie burger even before I was a vegetarian . . . It's that good!
In efforts to find some vegetarian comfort food, I started to search for something that would resemble the H town veggie burger and this is what I found. It comes pretty dang close to the real thing!
Veggie Burger
makes 4
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons hickory barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
2 cups cooked brown rice (I used quinoa here, but I prefer brown rice)
1 tablespoon oat bran
2 tablespoons onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped canned beets
1 teaspoon beet juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 egg white (vegan sub: 1/4 cup canned pumpkin)
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 slices monterey jack cheese (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Stir together barbecue sauce and molasses. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mash beans. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the barbecue mixture (reserving remaining for brushing) and remaining ingredients -- rice through egg white. Form into four 6 oz patties.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium. Grill burgers for 2 minutes on one side. Turn and brush with remaining barbecue/molasses mixture. Top with Monterey Jack and grill for another 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and mustard on a bun which has been grilled in butter (optional).
