Searching for the Perfect Veggie Burger

So it's getting to the BBQ time of year again. As a vegetarian, I am always the odd man out at these things - food wise. As the lot of the party drools over steaks, burgers, and chicken parts dripping with brown sauce as they are drawn to the grill like moths, I'm breaking open my package of frozen Gardenburgers yet again. On my way to any BBQ, I cruise by the grocery store and have to decide: Gardenburger or Boca Burger? One look at the ingredient list on either of those and I break my cardinal rule of not eating things I can't pronounce. I must say, last year Trader Joe's had these great portobella mushroom burgers in the refrigerated section. They were fresh and good. But they're not out yet. So I think I'm ready to find my own recipe, comprised of ingredients I can pronounce, and keep them in the freezer and at the ready. Kathleen has two recipes on this blog I have tried: the paremesan patty and the salmon/tuna burger. Both are good, but I want to recreate this yummy portobella mushroom burger. My first experiment was this evening. I think it was pretty successful.

The experiment: I combined the following in a food processor:
1 portobella mushroom cap, chopped
1/2 cup tofu, chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 onion, chopped and sauteed in olive oil plus 2 cloves garlic
1 egg, beaten
1/2 can white kidney beans
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon 21 Season Salute (TJ's)
salt and fresh ground pepper

This yeilded enough for 6 burgers. I baked 3 at 400 degrees for 50 minutes, and sauteed 3 with olive oil. They both came out well but the baked ones are better for freezing and then reheating on the BBQ I think. Bottom line: YUM! A little gooey, so maybe I'll try a little more bread crumbs next time.