Michele the Trainer reviews Buddha Burgers, Eilat, Israel.

By Michele the Trainer, HappyCow Ambassador Westlake Village, California.

After reading the HappyCow Cookbook, I had to try an actual Buddha Burgers from Israel.  This summer I visited Israel and Buddha Burgers, the vegan restaurant that shares a name with their number one dish, in Eilat, Israel.  Buddha Burgers has multiple locations in Israel (Eilat, Haifa, Ra’nana, and Tel Aviv), but I chose the location near the Red Sea and its amazing coral reefs. That burger was the best vegan burger EVER!
Fruit is a big deal in Israel, the home to many plant and vegetable lovers and of course vegans and vegetarians. You see rolling fields of sunflowers, watermelons sold everywhere and abundant organic agriculture to visit. I love sesame seeds, and tahini (sesame seed butter), is a common delicious ingredient common in Israel (I feature tahini in my cookbooks).  Israel is a wonderful place for beautiful beaches where any vegan can easily find food at any time of day. In Israel they eat salat (the word for salad in Israel) for breakfast, and it’s really simple to find a fresh juice.

 

The Buddha Burgers Eilat restaurant is on a hill with an open tropical feel, and a patio with a view of the Red Sea.  Wi-Fi was available and on the wall they had these really cool retro looking art posters, featuring Facebook and YouTube, but with a retro 50’s advertising look. While I sat I noticed several people running in and out to grab takeout Buddha Burgers, smoothies and vegan desserts from their refrigerated dessert display.

So you can feel the location, here are more photos of Eilat:

http://www.fromthegrapevine.com/nature/explore-eilat-beautiful-coral-reef-nature-reserve

 Salads!

I had a Root Salad and a Green Salad with balsamic dressing and green tahini sauce, and both were very good with large portions.

Vegan Shawarma Burrito:

Honorable mention to their Vegan Shawarma Burrito wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. The wrap includes lettuce, salsa (tomato based), green tahini, grilled onion, sprouts, pinto beans, wild rice, bell pepper, mustard, thin sliced carrot. Slathered in creamy green tahini sauce, this was heaven.

Vegan Chocolate Ball:

I grabbed a vegan chocolate ball from their dessert display thinking it was made of dates, and while it might have contained dates, it tasted like a delectable dark chocolate ball! So rich, I had to cut it into 4 pieces to share.

Buddha Burger:

“The Buddha Burger Classic comes in a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sprouts, pickled cucumber, vegan 1000 island dressing and mustard.  The patty includes Lentil sprouts, mushrooms, celery, walnuts, onions, wholegrain sesame seeds, tahini, and basil.”

Buddha Lentil Burger

The HappyCow Cookbook Recipe from Buddha Burgers in Tel Aviv, Israel

Serves 8–10

 The principle of this burger is simple: to include as many healthy and energizing ingredients as possible. Therefore, the base is sprouted lentils and quite a lot of flaxseed. All other ingredients are included for texture and taste.

 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

1 ½ cups minced white onion

7 cups sliced white mushrooms

¾ cups sliced celery stalks

3 cups sprouted green or black lentils

1 ½ cups minced toasted walnuts

10 garlic gloves, minced

¼ of a green jalapeno pepper, minced well*

1 cup tomato paste

1 cup ground flaxseeds

4 tablespoons tahini mixed with

4 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons soy sauce**

30 minced fresh basil leaves

1 ½ teaspoons ground sea salt (or regular salt)

1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper

*Wear gloves when handling these peppers and never touch your eyes.

**For a gluten-free version of this recipe, use gluten-free soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos.

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Warm the olive oil in a pan and add the minced onion together with the mushrooms and the celery. Sauté for five minutes. Drain the vegetable mixture in a colander and press out all the juices and oil. Then put the mixture in a food processor together with the lentils and walnuts. Using a large food processor, work in batches. With the food processor half-full, pulse the ingredients for 5 to 8 seconds until it resembles the texture of ground beef.

 Transfer the mixture out of the food processor and into a large bowl, and stir in the rest of the ingredients with a large spoon (or a mixer). Set aside and let it rest for 10 minutes so the ground flaxseeds can bind the mixture. The mixture should be soft and moist.

 To make each patty, take about 5 heaping tablespoons of burger mixture and press them flat into a disc onto an oiled baking pan. Bake the patties at 375 degrees. After 10 minutes, flip the patties and rotate the pan around in the oven back to front (for even baking). Bake another 10 minutes. Remove and cool. The patties should be crunchy on the outside and softer on the inside.

 Serve in a whole spelt bun with toppings, like our Bechamel “Cheese” (recipe in full cookbook), a vegan

Thousand Island dressing (vegan mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and dried onion), mustard, lettuce, tomato, red onion, or chives.

 Tip: The healthiest way to prepare these burgers is to dehydrate them rather than baking. After shaping the patties, place them in an oven at 115 degrees for 12 hours.”

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The Buddha Burger is stellar.  The patty is plump, juicy and flavorful; a superb savory combination of flavors and ingredients. On a gluten free bun it was also outstanding.  Until next time, and meanwhile, we should all practice making these Buddha Burgers at home!

Bete’avon!

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About Michele the Trainer

Michele the Trainer is your Wellness Expert, Motivational and Wellness Speaker, Published Author, Concierge Celebrity Personal Trainer, voted Best Fitness Trainer Los Angeles Daily News 2013/2014. Michele’s success losing 165 pounds holistically and keeping it off since 1998 is very inspirational. For more on Michele: Michele the Trainer 877-409-1758

www.michelethetrainer.com

www.michelethetrainerwellness.com

www.engineeringwellness.com

Here is Michele’s Amazon.com author page where you can find her book, Sexy Salads:

http://www.amazon.com/Michele-the-Trainer/e/B0075W9PJI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1