Delicious Dishes: Hamburger Buns

Would you believe me if I told that I never ate a hamburger bun until recently? It's true. I've never eaten red meat and I don't like veggie burgers unless they look like vegetables (as opposed to fake meat) and I've made them myself so I know what is in them, so I've simply had no reason to eat hamburger buns in last 29 years. All that changed in the past week or so.

First, I made Analiese's "Best Ever Black Bean Burgers". I love cilantro and avocado, so I made the "zesty" variation. Burger, baby spinach, tomato, lots of avocado and salsa on a Whole Foods' whole wheat burger bun, Deeeeeelicious! And more than just nutritious and yummy, these burgers are also very filling. Here's a picture of our dinner (with some simple mashed sweet potatoes):




Since burger buns come in quite a large pack for just the two of us, I wanted to find another way to use the remaining ones. Inspired by a wrap that I had at Soul Vegetarian awhile back, I decided to try barbecue tofu. I love barbecue sauce and eat it pretty infrequently since I gave up chicken a few years back. So very easy! I pressed the tofu in my handy Tofu Express, brushed it with sauce and baked for about 40 minutes on a baking sheet. I flipped and basted one time at the 20 minute mark. I served them with baby spinach, tomato, and a ton of pickles. I added a little sauce to the tops of the buns so that they wouldn't be dry. This would be a terrific thing to add to our weeknight recipe routine--quick and easy! (Forgive me for the paper plate--our dishwasher is out of commission and we had some left from a Superbowl gathering we had!).

What are some vegetarian-friendly ways you use hamburger buns?