Ready made veggie burgers often contain eggs or root vegetables, so I love making my own from scratch. You can customize them with whatever you want and they are completely fresh, not like some pre-packed frozen mystery food. Here is a new type of veggie burger patty I tried making a couple days ago, and it turned out delicious!

Cajun-Spiced Veggie Burgers

Makes 8-12 patties, depending on the size

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Calabaza (pumpkin or butternut squash)
• 1 ripe plantain, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 1 green bellpepper, chopped finely
• 1 medium zuchhini, chopped finely
• 1 green chili picante- chopped finely
• 1/2 cup oats (you can use them whole or pulse them a few times in a food processor for a more fine oat binder)
• 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3-4 Tbsp homemade Jain Cajun Spice mix, depending on how savory you want them  (quick cheat: use 1/2 packet of El Paso Mild Taco Seasoning + some extra red chilli powder, turmeric, and cumin)
• 2-3 tbsp dried or fresh parsely
• 2-3 tbsp Flax seeds or flax meal (optional, I add it because its healthy!)
• Olive Oil

Jain Cajun Spice mix:

Makes about 1/4 cup spice mix:

• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tspn ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayanne pepper
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon turmeric

Stir all ingredients together until evenly blended. Store in an air-tight container.

How to make the Cajun-Spiced Veggie Burgers

1. Begin by prepping all ingredients and vegetables.
2. Boil calabaza on high, covered for about 12-15 minutes until it is soft. At the same time, boil the plantain with a little bit of olive oil for about 5-7 minutes. Drain both and place in a large mixing bowl. Mash together with a potato masher until smooth, or you can even place it in a food processor if you have access to one.
3. Add lemon juice, chopped cilantro, parsley, flax seeds, and Jain Cajun Spice to the mashed mixture. Fold in chopped zucchini and bell pepper. Mix well and let sit for 5-7 minutes so that the spices are absorbed into the mixture. Finally, fold in the oats. This will serve as a binder so that the burgers aren’t too mushy. Spoon mixture into about 2-inch spheres per portion. If you feel like your mixture is too soft to work with, scoop into portions, and stick it in the fridge for 10  minutes before making the patties
4. Heat a nonstick pan on medium flame. OR if you have those nifty portable griddles for pancakes, that would work really well too. Scoop the veggie burger mixture onto the pan, and press down with a flat spatula or the back of a spoon. Drizzle olive oil over the patty and around the edges. Cook on low-med heat for 5 minutes, flip and repeat. The patties will feel really soft, so be careful. Once both sides are cooked, place in a dish to cool. The patties will set perfectly once they are cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or you can even freeze them for later.

Assembling your Cajun Veggie Burger:

There are many ways you can eat these burger patties. Crumble them over a fresh spinach or arugula salad. Eat them warm with the spicy sauce of your choice, or even ketchup. Use them in a panini, or a wrap! But to make the traditional “veggie burger” I like to pair them with some arugula, fresh avocado slices, sliced tomatoes, and Taco Bell Mild sauce or the verde Tabasco sauce. Another great spread pairing with this burger is a cucumber-yogurt raita dip to cool off the heat.

Veggie burgers are really versatile. All you really need to know is that you need a binder like oats, a mushy vegetable or beans (plantains work great!!), and spices to flavor. With this, you can virtually make any type with any flavor you like. Here are some creative ideas I have tried. I can post specific recipes soon!

Other types of veggie burgers you can make:

• Chickpea Veggie Burgers
• Lentil Burgers
• Quinoa Burgers
• Grilled Vegetable Burgers
• Paneer Tikka Burgers
• Left-over Curry burgers
• Blackbean-Tofu burger

…and make some Jain Sliders!

Maybe pair your sliders with some Vegan Spicy Tofu Chilli

(recipe coming soon!) and if you have left-over Vegan Chilli…how about some Chilli-Cheese Quesadillas?? The possibilities are endless!