Broccoli Bust

High on my meatloaf success, I attempted something new.  I have been trying to get my son to at least try one bite of broccoli.  He has eaten it in baby food, but green food seems to bother him.  I know that is common in many kids, but I worry that he is not getting enough variety.  To date, I have mainly offered it straight up: steamed, roasted, or sautéed.  Won't even bring it to his mouth and on one occasion it was thrown on the floor.

I decided to hide it.  He will eat a few bites of burger, so I decided to stash it there.  I figured I could make a meaty faux burger with TVP.   It was pretty easy since I already had cooked rice from some take out and frozen broccoli.  I cooked it on my griddle pan and it looked deceptively meaty.  I dolloped some ketchup on his bun and offered him a "super yummy hamburger."

Failure.  With a big, fat, capital F.  I felt bad that I served it to him.  Don't get me wrong, it was pretty tasty.  My husband and I enjoyed them as did our daughter.  My son wouldn't put it to his lips.  I took it off the bun and offered a bite on a fork.  He started to cry.  This is not a typical reaction, so I backed off for a while.  I tried again to more tears.  My husband tried.  Hysterics.  We gave up and let him eat carrots, yogurt, and crackers.  Part of me feels guilty that we didn't make a stand, but he rarely gets like that.

All that aside, the rest of us liked it, so here's the recipe.

Broccoli and Rice Veggie Burger
( made 7 patties)

2 Tbsps flax seed meal hydrated for a bit in 6 Tbsps warm water (or 2 eggs)
1 cup TVP hydrated in 7/8 cups boiling water
1 cup broccoli, chopped very fine
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsps soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in a large food processor and grind almost to a paste.  I left some chunks for texture.  Chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat a griddle pan or large frying pan over medium high heat.

I used a 1/4 cup measure and scooped out mixture and formed thin patties.  I dropped it on the hot pan and cooked about 7 minutes per side.  I flipped when it was brown and crisp on one side.

We ate ours on burger buns with the standard burger fixings (and I put soy cheese on mine as you can see), but my leftovers were equally tasty without the bun slathered with hot sauce.

As a side note, I realised this was also a gluten free recipe if you use the right soy sauce.