With Memorial Day just around the corner, it's time to talk about burgers (again). Yes, I know I just wrote about all-beef patties, but you don't need meat to make a tasty burger. Veggie burgers can be just as delicious as their beef counterparts, and healthier too.

Now when I say veggie burgers, I do not mean garden burgers. Just like any mass-produced food, frozen garden burgers are a quick commercially-made alternative to a true veggie burger. Making homemade vegetarian burgers is not much more difficult than preparing beef burgers (especially if you have a food processor) and you can modify the recipe for your own tastes and preferences. Plus they aren't full of sodium (unlike the frozen varieties).

There are numerous ways to make veggie burgers. Whether using mushrooms, vegetables, tofu or beans as a base, each recipe has something different to offer. I like making my burgers with beans because the texture, when pulsed in a food processor, is really perfect for shaping into patties. I also just like the flavor of beans. Other ingredients I tend to use are walnuts (which provide both substance and flavor), spinach (which helps bind the burger), carrots and onions. You'll also need to mix in a dry ingredient or the burger will disintegrate into the pan when you try to fry it (trust me on this as I've had it happen). The good news is that you can really use whatever you'd like, from bread crumbs to oatmeal, rice, bulgur or couscous (which is what I used when preparing the recipe below this week as I had some leftover from dinner the night before).

Seasonings are really whatever you want. If using black beans, try a tsp of cumin and 1/2 cup cilantro. If you want something with an Italian flavor, use cannellini beans and then add in some sun dried tomatoes and basil. Other flavorings could be chili powder, turmeric, curry powder, ginger, soy sauce or a variety of herbs. It's your burger, so mix in whatever sounds good.

Keep in mind that veggie burgers need to be cooked and prepared a little differently than meat burgers. Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind:
• Don't over process the ingredients or else the burger will fall apart
• Cook in a nonstick pan (I use my cast-iron pans)
• Fry your burgers in a little bit of oil
• Handle your burgers carefully as veggie burgers are more fragile than meat burgers and tend to fall apart
• Chill your burgers before cooking (if time allows) as they will maintain their shape better
• Start off cooking in a hot skillet and then reduce the heat
• If you accidentally over process the beans, just add more dry ingredients
• Taste the bean mixture before adding the egg so you can determine if you have seasoned everything to your liking

Following is my bean burger recipe along with some links to other types of veggie burgers that you may find interesting. Some are vegan, some vegetarian and all worth considering.

*Apparently Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies (who knew?) so if you'd like to keep this vegetarian or vegan, you can substitute soy sauce.

Other Veggie Burgers That Look Good

Here's a list of recipes for veggie burgers that I haven't yet tried, but plan on preparing in the future.

• Moosewood's Mushroom Pecan Burgers from the venerable and reliable Moosewood Restaurant
• Summer Veggie Burger Made to Order by Mark Bittman
• The Simplest Bean Burgers from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
• Tofu Burgers by 101 Cookbooks
• Cracked Wheat Burgers with Pickled Onions and Lime Slather from Better Homes and Gardens
• Greek Spinach Veggie Burgers from Better Homes and Gardens
• Bean Burgers from Alison Holst from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Life
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger from Meatless Monday
• Mushroom Burgers With Almonds and Spinach from the New York Times Recipes for Health
• White Bean Burgers from the New York Times Recipes for Health

Happy National Hamburger Month! In honor of this made-up celebration of all things burger, let's get to the meat of the matter. When the weather is nice -- usually sunny, but let's be honest about where we live and include mildly foggy -- it's time to grill. And although you can get fancy on your Weber, nothing is easier or more satisfying to cook outside than an all-beef burger (unless of course you're vegetarian, in which case this post isn't for you). Plus after a winter of braises and stews, nothing inaugurates summer like a perfectly grilled burger sitting on a fluffy bun.

But not all hamburgers are made equally. There is an enormous difference between handmade burgers and the patties you find in a grocery store freezer section, which are really nothing short of inferior-grade beef hockey pucks. Plus making truly fine burgers takes only about five to ten minutes longer than preparing the frozen variety (depending on if you grind your own meat), and the time spent is well worth it. And if you're still not convinced, you can read this great piece in the New York Times called Anatomy of a Burger which details the process meat corporations go through to produce their ground meat. Just saying...

Please note that this article has nothing to do with turkey, lamb or pork burgers, and there are no discussions on toppings or condiments. No, our attention here is solely on beef patties: how to make, season and cook them. That's all. So with that in mind, let's now focus on how making a great burger is really a fairly plain and simple endeavor. Here are 10 helpful tips to keep in mind:

10 Tips for Making Great Hamburgers

1. Purchase the best meat possible. Burgers are really all about the meat, so don't skimp. Buy the best quality beef you can find. I'm not taking about filet mignon here. Rather I mean the quality of the overall beef instead of the cut. No shock to anyone who knows me, I prefer grass-fed organic beef, preferably raised locally. Environmental and health reasons aside, grass-fed beef has a more intense meaty flavor than corn-fed commercially produced meat and can stand up to the condiments you'll add later. Yes there is a price difference, but we're talking about ground beef here so instead of paying $3.99 a pound you may pay $6.99 or $7.99 a pound, which will feed a family of four. Not a bad price.

2. If you have a meat grinder then by all means take it out of the storage closet. Use a mix of sirloin and chuck. If you don't have one then be sure to purchase high-quality ground meat from the type of place where the butchers actually grind the meat on the premises and know which cuts are used.

3. Use meat that has about 15 - 20% fat (that's 80 - 85% lean on the label). Fat equals flavor in a burger. It also prevents the meat from drying out on the grill. If you want a leaner meal, then you probably shouldn't be eating a hamburger.

4. Don't include extraneous ingredients. Avoid eggs, bread crumbs and anything else that will detract from the beef flavor. These ingredients are for meatloaf, which is a fine dish but isn't a burger.

5. Keep the seasonings simple so the taste of the beef shines through. I use only salt, pepper, Worcestershire Sauce and a little onion or shallot. You can also add some chopped herbs, Dijon mustard or onion powder. And if your meat seems a little dry, add in about 1 Tbsp heavy cream for a pound of meat to add richness.

6. Don't over handle the meat as doing so toughens the burger. The meat doesn't need to be compressed into a patty for it to hold together.

7. Shape thin patties. When you cook meat, it contracts in on itself, so thickly-shaped burgers end up resembling meatballs. It's better to include two thin patties on your sandwich then one chunky burger that is unevenly cooked. You should also make your burgers a little wider than your bun as the patty will shrink in size when you cook it.

8. Press a little dimple into the center of the burger to keep it from bulging out when you cook it. As mentioned earlier, meat shrinks when it cooks and so the center has a tendency to swell in the middle. Indenting will counteract this.

9. Grill with the cover on at medium-high heat. Do not overcook. We usually barbecue our burgers for about three minutes per side for medium-rare meat and four to five minutes per side for burgers that are cooked through for the kids.

10. Don't press on your burgers while grilling them. I really can't stress this enough. If you press on your patties with a spatula you are pushing all the juices out and you're going to end up with dry burgers.

That's it. Easy right? Now if only we can convince Mother Nature to give us a sunny summer.

Trueburger, the new hamburger restaurant in downtown Oakland, is, well… true. Genuine meat patties made from cuts that are ground on the premises, shakes made with real ice cream (plus wonderful additions like actual bananas and peanut butter), all-beef kosher dogs that you can get topped with homemade chili and cheese, and truly nice people running the joint. What more could you ask for?

Greg Eng and Jason Low, both former sous chefs at Bay Wolf Restaurant in Oakland, wanted to open a restaurant that would appeal to everyone: young, old, middle aged, rich, working class and anything in between. Their goal was to provide high quality food that people loved to eat at affordable prices. After eating their a few times, I can vouch that they've succeeded. Eating at Trueburger is sort of like going back in time to one of those burger and shake restaurants that seemed to be in every town before fast food restaurants put them all out of business. Like Al's Diner in Happy Days or the hangout in Back to the Future, it serves American food made from real ingredients for regular people.

Located on Grand Avenue across the street and down a block from Lake Merritt, Trueburger is in the heart of downtown Oakland. When I asked Greg and Jason why they opened their restaurant in this location, they both enthusiastically told me that they live in Oakland and so wanted to invest in the city they mutually love. According to Greg, Oakland is the west coast's Brooklyn: it's a bit beat up and tarnished next to its glitzier and wealthier sister city of San Francisco, but filled with a talented and eclectic group of people who want and deserve great food.

So what can you find at Trueburger? The menu is simple and direct because Greg and Jason wanted to focus on making a few items really well. Burgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, smoked chicken sausage, shakes, fries and salads. That's pretty much it.

So far, my favorite item is the burger. Now, I should preface my review by saying that I am a finicky burger eater. I have a Three Little Bears mentality when it comes to hamburgers: not too thick (because then you can't taste the bun, cheese, and condiments) not too thin (because what's the point of a super thin burger?), but just right. Greg and Jason make their own meat patties -- the cuts they grind are a trade secret. I do know, however, that the meat is angus beef, not organic and not grass fed. All the meat is also ground at the restaurant. I've eaten two burgers there so far, and both were truly excellent. With an 80/20 meat/fat ratio that is just the perfect thickness and size, each burger bursts with real beef flavor. The buns are purchased from a local bakery in Berkeley. Fluffy with nooks inside, I could tell the buns are steam-baked and then laid on the grill just before they're served so they're crispy on the inside. The perfect vehicle for a good patty. For a little extra, you can top your burger with cheese, bacon, chili, or grilled onions.

In addition to those amazing burgers, Trueburger also has hot dogs. My daughter Sophie really enjoyed the Naked Hot Dog, which is a plain large Hebrew National dog in a bun, but the Housemade Chili-Cheese Dog with diced onions and cheddar cheese made me go weak at the knees. The chili (cooked fresh each day) is made with meat and beans and lots of other ingredients that meld together into the perfect amalgamation to sit on a dog. Topped with their cheese sauce, and you have a poem on a bun. Yes, it's really that good.

There aren't a lot of sides at Trueburger, but true to their goal, the few they have are done well. The fries are quite decent. Made from real potatoes (and not those frozen things a lot of other places use), they are soft and steamy on the inside and crispy and salty on the outside. You can have them plain, or topped with cheese sauce, chili or both. Trueburger also has locally-made pickles which are crispy and perfectly dilled. I was disappointed, however, that they didn't have onion rings as I think all good burger and dog places should have this item on the menu. Plus it's almost impossible to find a good onion ring, and I know Greg and Jason would make great ones.

Hamburgers and hot dogs aside, Trueburger is worth a visit for any shake-loving individual. Made from real vanilla and chocolate ice cream, Trueburger's shakes are thick and decadent. Yet what makes them really special is that you can add a variety of ingredients to them. So far, I've tried the vanilla banana, the vanilla caramel, and the vanilla orange cream -- all ridiculously delicious. You can also get a very nice root beer float (which my daughters loved). On my next stop I plan on trying one made with chocolate ice cream and peanut butter. Right now, you can choose to start your shake with vanilla or chocolate ice cream and then add up to 8 flavors (including malt), but once summer fruits are in season, Greg and Jason plan on adding other choices to the list. I can't wait to try blueberry and peach in June.

Oh yeah, there's also a 'Shroom Burger, smoked chicken sausage and three types of chopped salads. I can't imagine walking into Trueburger and not getting a hamburger or chili dog, but if you're interested in a healthier or vegetarian option, there's still plenty for you to eat.

Trueburger is open every weekday and Saturday for lunch, plus Thursday through Saturday evening for dinner. They have applied for a liquor license, so I'm hoping to have my chili dog with an ice cold beer in a few months, but for now Greg and Jason have an inspired selection of root beers and cream sodas on hand, as well as the standard soda fountain selection.

So if you're in the mood for a true burger -- homemade with a side of cheesy fries -- or a chili dog with a real ice cream shake, you need look no further than downtown Oakland.

Trueburger
146 Grand Avenue
Oakland, CA 94612 Map
Twitter: @trueburger
Trueburger on Facebook

Hours
Monday - Wednesday 11:00 - 2:30; Thursday - Friday 11:00 - 2:30 and 5:00 - 8:30; Saturdays 11:00 - 8:30; closed Sundays

Trying everything at Weezy’s Grass Fed Shed

I'm a little late to the game, but I'm finally getting into the Best Food Writing 2009 anthology. It's only been sitting on my nightstand for a few months. If you haven't checked it out yet, there are some great, short pieces on everything from translating modern Indian cooking to an exploration of illegal, raw-milk cheese. Our of all of the work I've read so far (Disclaimer: I'm still not all that far into it), Tim Hayward's short piece, "Too Much of a Mouthful" caught my attention. In it, he explores the current popularity of oversized portions--particularly in the U.K.

Interesting enough, I was finishing Hayward's piece as I sat waiting for a friend on the patio of Weezy's Grass Fed Shed in San Rafael. I'd heard about this place right when they opened from a friend who worked in the area. She boasted that they served Prather Ranch beef burgers for a mere $3.00. I argued with her about the impossibility of that statement, and she assured me that it was true but that they make it all work because the burgers are small.

Great. Perfect. I hate how sluggish I feel after a big burger, so I quickly find a fellow burger lover and we agree to meet for lunch and check it out.

The shed’s small outdoor patio

Now when my friend mentioned that the burgers are small, she wasn't messing around. Think somewhere in between slider and very small burger. Tim Hayward, the writer I just spoke of, would be proud. In his piece, he closes by commenting on the irony of careful food preparation in the U.K. combined with the obscene, difficult-to eat portions:

Any cook worth his Maldon salt, be he three-star chef, sandwich slinger or pie-maker, will have thought long and hard about every aspect of a dish he's created. By the time he's given it a final wipe with the rag and sent it out to delight me he will have used all of his knowledge, skill, experience and training to ensure that it is properly sourced and prepped; perfectly cooked, seasoned, rested, and sauced. Is it really too much to ask then, that it should also fit in my mouth?

Clearly, Louise Clow-Birkenseer ("Weezy') would answer with a resounding "No." Not only are her burgers made with the finest ingredients, they’re also a very civilized and appropriate size. You can swing by and grab one as a late afternoon snack or, as my friend Creg and I decided to do, order a whole bunch (or, let's be honest: pretty much everything on the menu). At that size and that price, why not?

The Contiki burger: a little bit sweet, a little bit savory.

Before I report back on our favorites, a little background: Weezy's started as many great things do: when someone notices a lack of something in their neighborhood or town and decides to fill it. Weezy lives in the sleepy part of San Rafael known as Terra Linda--quite residential with very few good dining options. Weezy missed a good burger. She wanted to walk and pick one up. She'd always wanted to add to the community in some way and felt that really good quality food should be available to everyone at a fair price. Enough said. The shed was born.

Creg and I visited on a quiet and unusually sunny weekday and found Weezy whistling on a stool in the back of the shed forming small meat patties. High school kids were working through the line with smiles and enthusiasm. It all felt very organized but completely laid-back at the same time. For example, as we were hemming and hawing over what kind of fries to order (sweet potato or regular), the kids at the register encouraged us to go with both: We'll mix them up for you! OK, sold. I overhear another customer debating between the limeade or the raspberry lemonade. The cashier's solution? It's so good if you mix them both! We do it all the time. Trust us, you'll love it! I like this carefree, go-for-it attitude. Why take lunch too seriously, after all?

Then as if the kids at the counter aren't excited enough, we go outside to enjoy our burgers and Weezy herself isn't far behind with her own lunch tray. She sits down next to us, soaking in the sun, chatting with customers and introducing herself, and literally oohing and ahhing over her burger. From the sound of things, she's behind these little burgers 110%.

Creg and I tried the White Trash Burger (with American cheese, iceberg lettuce, and Thousand Island dressing), Burger in a Lettuce Cup, the B-rad (with bacon and Tillamook cheddar), the Contiki (with pineapple and Teriyaki sauce), and the Moo-Less Burger (homemade vegan patty with 20 different ingredients served on a bun with cream cheese and special sweet potato sauce).

The Moo-Less Burger

Each burger is right around $3.00 and weighs in at 1/8 of a pound unless you opt to do the "Double Wide" upgrade with is ¼ pound for an additional $.75. I have to say, I'll probably upgrade next time. It seems like a great deal. I expected to really love the White Trash burger, but there was something about the crispy bacon, juicy and perfectly cooked meat, and slightly sharp cheddar that made me grasp onto the B-rad and not let go. Sorry, Creg. I'll give you a bite next time.

I'll be back for this one: the b-rad burger

So as the weather turns warmer, as you look to new spots to try, I'm all for taking Tim Hayward's implied thesis to heart--size matters. Something is lost in quality and in experience when you're presented with an entire pound of it. According her website, for Weezy "it’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle." I have to say--if I lived just a bit closer, I'd start to integrate Weezy's more into my own.

Weezy's Grass Fed Shed
621 A Del Ganado (in the Scotty's Market Shopping Center)
San Rafael, CA, 94903
(415) 479-7433
Hours: Everyday 11am-8pm; for coffee and pastries (NEW) only 7am-11am
Also, find them on Facebook

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We may not be in a recession yet, but you wouldn't know that from the way we're eating. According to Allrecipes, an online cooking community with over 35 million unique visitors annually, the economic downturn might just be causing Americans to cut back on food spending. Traffic to recipe pages using low-cost ingredients, such as ground beef and pasta, nearly doubled over the past three months. Searches for low cost vs. their high cost counterparts have increased significantly, 74% overall. For example, they noted ground beef had a relative increase of 24% when compared to steak.

Two recent cookbooks can help you make the most of your burger or your steak, regardless of your budget. Recipe of the Week Burgers 52 Easy Recipes for Year-Round Cooking is a fun little book with very creative recipes, for example week 6 is Curried Chicken Burgers with Chutney Mayonnaise and week 16 is Espresso Rubbed Burgers. There are Portobello Burgers, Lamb Burgers, Salmon Burgers and Turkey Burgers. While you may not actually wish to cook a burger a week, there are lots of great ideas for spicing up repertoire. You may never eat a plain old burger again.

The New Steak looks at often overlooked cuts such as skirt, flat iron, hangar and flank steak and discuses all kinds of meaty issues such as Kobe, Wagyu, organic beef and certified Black Angus. Author and blogger Cree LeFavour also pays lavish attention to the side dishes. This would no doubt please my sometimes vegetarian sister-in-law who thinks the sides are the best part of any steakhouse. Corn Griddle Cakes, Avocado Salad and Rum-Glazed Plantains are just a few of her unorthodox choices.

Recipes are divided into four chapters, American Steak, Bistro Steak, Latin Steak and Far East Steak. If you're going to invest in good steak, make the most of it with recipes like Hangar Steak with French Feta, Salsa Verde, and Mint-Zucchini Pancakes or Caribbean Spice Paste-Rubbed Top Sirloin with Lime-Cilantro Crema and Red Beans and Rice. Recipes are incredibly detailed, giving instructions for both pan frying and grilling.

Cauliflower Mash

1 head cauliflower, about 2 pounds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Chop off the stem of the cauliflower and break up the remaining florets. Put the cauliflower in a steam basket over water in a pot with a lid. Make sure you have water up to the basket. Bring it to a boil, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes , or until the cauliflower is tender. Drain and coarsely mash the florets with a potato masher before transferring the cooked cauliflower to a food processor. Add the butter and salt and blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrap the mash into a bowl and it's ready to serve.

Reprinted from The New Steak Copyright © 20088 by Cree LeFavour, published by Tenspeed Press.

Curried Crab Cake Burgers
makes 4 burgers

12 ounces crabmeat, very coarsely shredded
1/2 cup panko
1/4 cup mayonnaise or whole milk yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime, quartered

Place the crabmeat, panko, mayonnaise, cilantro, chive and curry powder in a medium sized bowl and using your hand, mix very gently to combine. Form into 4 patties, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Place the flour and salt on a large plate. Dredge each patty in the flour mixture. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the patties and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with the lime wedges.

Reprinted from Recipe of the Week Burgers, Copyright © 2008 by Sally Sampson, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.