Spent Grain Vegan Burgers

As I mentioned earlier, Steve's new homebrew hobby means that my new hobby is trying recipes using spent grain. I decided to move beyond the bread recipes and try a vegan burger. 

I was inspired by Seven Bridges Cooperative's recipe for Vegan Burgers, although I took some liberties. (Have I mentioned before I'm pretty much incapable of following a recipe?) Here's my version:

Spent Grain Vegan Burgers

                  1 package extra-firm tofu                    1 T. dried thyme

                  1 3/4 c. spent grains (still wet)            1 t. celery salt

                  1/4 c. ground flaxseed                         1/4 tsp. pepper

                  1/2 c. minced onion                            2+ T. flour

                  2 T. soy sauce

Use a spoon to mash the tofu together with the spent grains. When the two items are thoroughly mixed, add flaxseed, onion, soy sauce, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add flour, one tablespoon at a time, until mixture has a similar consistency to ground beef. Form into 1-inch thick patties. Fry until browned, then flip and cook the other side. Serve with tomatoes, pickles, and your favorite hamburger condiments.

I actually melted some cheddar cheese on top of ours for extra flavor. Obviously, they're no longer vegan when you do that.

So how were they? I loved them! I was really excited when I tasted how good they were, thinking that I'd be able to use this recipe in all of the ways I normally use ground beef. Alas, Trevor and Steve didn't like them.

I think part of the problem was that they were expecting (and hoping for) regular hamburgers for dinner. They'd been on a Cub Scout overnight and were tired, filthy and starving. They craved meat. I served them grains and tofu where, in their opinions, meat should have been. I should have realized that I couldn't have picked a worse time to experiment with a vegan entree. Although Trevor finished his and Steve had a second, so they couldn't have hated them that much. There are three leftover patties. We'll see how they like them in other applications.