NEW YORK — It’s a recipe that’s been around for more than 150 years and one that’s made in the kitchen of the celebrated chef-turned-entrepreneur, Michael Mina.
But for most of us, it’s a little hard to get to.
The veggie burgers you see on TV and in the supermarket aren’t vegan.
And while many of us are getting in on the vegan bandwagon, we may be missing out on a lot of flavor.
Here’s how to make the best vegan veggie buns.
Mina is known for his signature burgers, but his latest venture is no ordinary burger.
A vegan burger with meat is a big deal, and he’s using the technique to create the ultimate burger.
“I am a huge fan of burgers, I’m not a huge vegan fan,” Mina told ABC News.
He’s not alone.
In fact, he said the majority of his customers are vegan, and the burgers have been on the menu for nearly a year.
The vegan burger is a little different from the burgers we all know and love.
It’s all natural, made with plant-based ingredients, with no animal products, and not fried, so it’s healthy.
It’s the same recipe, but in a more delicious way, said Mina, who is also a vegetarian and the founder of Mina Meatless, a chain of meatless restaurants that started in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The new vegan burger has a creamy, cheesy and cheesy texture and is served with a homemade vegan cheese.
“It’s not a burger with cheese on it, it just looks like a burger,” Minta said.
“You can’t go wrong with a vegan burger.”
For the vegan burger, the first step is to get the meat off the bone.
“We put it in the freezer,” Mino said.
Then, Mina adds the protein and spices to the burger.
The protein in the meat, he explains, helps the vegan’s body digest the food.
Then the meat is ground up and mixed with the cheese.
Then it’s grilled, and finished with some chopped tomatoes and mayo.
Then, you have the bun.
This is where the meat and the vegan mix together.
The bun is a special mix of meat, cheese, and onions, all mixed together.
You can use any kind of meat you like, but I like the red meat from chicken, bacon, and turkey, Mino explained.
“The flavor is amazing.”
Then, the vegan bun is made.
You use a bun press to make it.
There are so many different shapes, but you just put your hands in it, he explained.
Then you put it on a bun and bake it at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
It comes out delicious, he added.
“That’s the magic.”
Mina’s veggie vegan burger came out of a love of burgers.
“My whole life I’ve been making burgers, and it was always something that I’d make, just for fun,” he said.
Now, he’s turning to his passion for making vegan burgers for his customers, as well.
“To see people who love this are going to go out and buy the burgers, make them and serve them and make this, I feel like this is something I should be doing.”