Vegan Teriyaki Burgers with Broiled Pineapple

Okay, I love the extra hour of sleeping in when Daylight Savings ends in the fall. But it really stinks when it comes to taking pictures of dinner. The sun was setting before the burgers were even done cooking. I need to make some sort of light box for taking pictures in the coming months, because trying to get decent lighting this evening was just ridiculous.

Bad lighting aside, fall really is my favorite season of the year. I might be straying a bit into cliche territory, but I love when the air turns cool and crisp. I love the leaves turning red and orange. I love the “blustery” winds that blow those colorful leaves all over the place.

I love that my favorite holiday – Thanksgiving – is in the fall. My birthday also comes in the fall, usually within a week or two of Thanksgiving. I love the pumpkin and apple and spice and all the other amazing flavors of fall.

This recipe has nothing to do with fall. But it’s delicious, so it’s all good. These burger patties are made of something called seitan – it’s a meat substitute made of wheat gluten. I based this recipe on a dish we’ve made a couple times, vegan barbecue “ribs,” but changed the ribs into patties and glazed them with teriyaki sauce instead of barbecue.

Interestingly, the simplest part of this recipe, the broiled pineapple, is what really makes this dish. The juicy pineapple brought together all the flavors of teriyaki and seitan. Also, this didn’t make it into the pictures, but my husband and I put sriracha sauce on our burgers and it was amazing.

Vegan Teriyaki Burgers with Broiled Pineapple
Serves 6
Vegan Burger Patties:
1 1/2 cups wheat gluten
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
3 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp Chinese five slice (blend of cinnamon, anise, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves)
1 cup plus 2 tbsp water
3 tbsp peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Dash ginger
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Other:
6 slices fresh pineapple
6 while wheat hamburger buns
Lettuce

For burger patties: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet.

Combine gluten, nutritional yeast, and spices in large bowl. In smaller bowl, whisk together water, peanut butter, liquid smoke, and soy sauce. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly. Knead 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.

Divide dough into six portions. Flatten each portion into a patty shape. This dough is very elastic, so you have to work at it to get it to keep its shape.

Place patties on greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

While patties are cooking, prepare teriyaki sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and darkened, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice pineapple and, if desired, remove fibrous core of each slice. Place on small greased baking sheet.

When patties are done baking, remove from oven and set oven to broil. Place baking rack 5 to 6 inches from broiler. Broil pineapple slices about 10 minutes per side, watching carefully to make sure they don’t burn.

Brush thick layer of teriyaki sauce on top side of each patty. Broil for about 3 to 5 minutes, until sauce is caramelized but not burned. Turn patties over and brush thick layer of teriyaki sauce on other side. Broil on second side for 3 to 5 minutes, again until caramelized but not burned. Remove from oven and brush with additional sauce, if desired.

Serve patties and pineapple slices on whole wheat buns with lettuce. Add some sriracha sauce if that’s your thing, the sweet heat is delicious on these burgers.