Mushroom Burgers, minus the soy/eggs

This is a recipe I created to be meat-free without adding soy/eggs or any other product containing large amounts of protein. I have tried many recipes and most had added stuff I could not eat. All I really wanted was something with mushrooms that looked like a burger and tasted good with ketchup. After much trial and error, here is what I came up with.

Ingredients:
3-5 mushrooms (any kind, but I use white b/c they are cheapest)
1 piece of bread (or about a 1/2 c. bread crumbs)
1 T flour
(you can add any seasoning you would add to real burgers for taste)

Directions:
1. Using my chopper, I chop up my mushrooms and set them aside in a bowl. You may need to chop them separately. If you are a more-legit cook then me and have a food processor, by all means use that.

Chopper...great time saver!

2.Then I take my slice of bread and chop it as well- I always use the heel of the bread so it doesn't go to waste. (PKU NOTE- use your low-protein bread slice to make this lower-PHE) And of course, if you are using bread crumbs already made, skip this step!

3. Add about 1 T flour (or low-PHE flour for PKU readers) and any seasoning if desired. Mix the mushroom and bread in the bowl (I use my clean hands) My mushrooms usually are pretty moist from rinsing earlier, and this moisture and the flour starts to adhere the "burger" together.

4. Once it is mixed well, mush it into the shape of a burger.

5.Use saran wrap to cover a plate and place the "burger" on the plate. Cover the top with the rest of the piece of wrap. Place in freezer for at least 20 minutes, no more than an hour. (If it's more, that just means you have to let it thaw first)

6. Remove "burger" from the freezer and heat in a pan using a small amount butter, oil, white wine, or whatever you might want to add flavor. I prefer a very small amount of vegetable oil (1tsp.) just to keep the burger from sticking to the pan.

My burger, after Saran Wrap is removed, right before cooking

7. After a couple minutes (time depends on your burner) flip over "burger" -but a word of caution...flip like you would a pancake...make sure you have as much of the "burger" as you can on the spatula to lift and flip or it may break. (No worries it it breaks...it may look less pretty, but tastes the same). Cook the other side for about the same amount of time.

8. Serve on a bun, bread, etc. I like mine with swiss cheese and some ketchup. I'd imagine it would taste great with other condiments as well, I'm just crazy-picky.

My finished product (before condiments)with sandwich bread, but a bun would be ideal.

P.S. Some variations that may fit your needs better

Add a little honey to keep the "burger" together well.

Lightly saute chopped mushrooms beforehand with seasonings and/or sauce, oils, wines to add flavor.

Use spatula to keep "burger" flat while cooking and/or lightly reshape sides if needed.

Place finished "burger" directly on bun - it may start to fall apart if you transfer it from serving plate to bun.