Burger night? I can make that vegan!

I had a hankering.  It was calling to me, so of course, I answered.  I've never been a big "burger gal".  However, I have had a long love affair with hot sauce.  It started with craving chicken tenders and grew over the years to a slight obsession.  I've eaten it on just about everything... Tortilla chips, popcorn.  These days, as you know, I don't eat chicken, or any meat for that matter, but I still love my hot sauce.  Sometimes, I just want something spicy and crunchy on a sourdough bun with fresh vegetables topping it off. Is that too much to ask?  Enter the buffalo tempeh burger.  This is about the most simple vegan dish that won't have you slaving on the kitchen for hours.

     It starts with some plain tempeh from any grocery store.  Mine came from Trader Joe's, the greatest store in the world!  I just cut the slab in half and then sliced down the center to make two thin patties.  For the bun, I bought these gluten-free sourdough bagel buns from the frozen section of Kroger's Nature Market.  It was the first time I'd tried these, and I was not disappointed.  They even have that chewy texture that makes bagels so special.  

     Next, I sliced a shallot and one clove of garlic into small pieces and sautéed them in a bit of coconut oil, my go-to for any high heat frying.  

     While those were going, I just quickly marinated the tempeh in a small amount of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  It gives the tempeh a slightly salty, umami flavor to mimic meat.  I also sliced a Cherokee Purple tomato from the garden and a couple of leaves of organic romaine.  

     It didn't take long for the shallot and garlic to start browning, at which point I removed them from my skillet and replaced them with the tempeh patties.  I added just a bit more coconut oil to keep them from burning.  The joy of using my Mammaw's cast-iron skillet is that it's almost non-stick without the nasty Teflon chemicals leaching into my food.  As soon as they were nicely browned on both sides, I set them to the side and toasted my "bun" in the same pan.  

     Once everything was cooked, I assembled my masterpiece.

     Now, what goes better with a burger than hot crispy fries?  With my oven preheated to 425, I just sliced a couple of small gold potatoes into strips, tossed them in olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder, and fresh black pepper. I spread them on my baking stone and within 15 minutes, I had golden, crispy, beautiful fries.  People like to spew the nonsense that white potatoes aren't good for you, but they're actually an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium.  Plus, as a nursing mom, I need the extra carbs or my milk supply will drop.  I've experimented with this, and it's definitely true for me.  

     Here you have it!  An American Classic with all the flavor and none of the guilt.  It really was delicious and, I think, quite nice to look at.  It was my first time making this, in burger form anyway,and I'll be doing it again very soon.  This could easily become a staple meal in this house.