“Protein Style” Tempeh Burger

If you live in proximity to the fast food restaurant In-N-Out, you’ve probably heard the lore of the secret menu, that is, the off-menu items that only those “in the know” can order.

One such trick is to order your burger “protein style,” i.e., without the white flour bun.

This month’s recipe isn’t a traditional hamburger; in fact, it’s not even a meat burger. Most particularly, it doesn’t attempt to be a burger. But it does borrow the protein-style concept from the In-N-Out secret menu. It also incorporates baked potato slices into the burger, and ketchup into the marinade, to give you that burger-joint vibe, without the burger.

This is a low-carb, sugar-free*, gluten-free, vegan meal, with a big burger vibe. Open wide!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Assembly time: 5 minutes
Makes 2 burgers

Ingredients:

Pre-prep

• Four Romaine lettuce leaves, washed, dried and intact, cut to size
• One large ripe tomato, sliced
• One slab of tempeh, halved
• One onion, sliced very thin
• One medium potato, sliced, skin on
• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Marinade

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs soy sauce or tamari**
• 1 clove of garlic, mashed
• 1 Tbs vinegar or citrus juice
• 1 Tbs ketchup*
• 1/ 4 tsp hot sauce

*1 Tbs of ketchup contains 3 grams of added sugar
**Use tamari if you prefer gluten-free

Directions:

1. Prepare the marinade; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 450.
3. Microwave the tempeh in a water bath for 5 minutes (this helps remove any bitterness). Drain the tempeh and pat dry. Transfer the tempeh to the marinade and coat both sides.
4. Add one Tbs of the olive oil and the onions to a small sauté pan, over medium heat. Stir occasionally, allowing the onions to slowly become an amber brown. Caramelizing the onions is an important step! This is your sweet sauce, without any sugar.
5. While the onions are browning, rub the sliced potatoes with olive oil and salt on both sides. Place in single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Do not overcook.
6. Transfer the onions to a bowl and use the same pan (flavored with onion!) to brown your tempeh. This should take about 5 minutes on each side, over medium heat.

Prepare the burger by layering as follows:

 
Lettuce
Tomato
Potato
Onion
Tempeh
Onion
Potato
Tomato
Lettuce