Tempeh Too Good For Words Burgers

Have you ever seen the movie Waitress? It's one of my all time favorites. The main character names all of her baking creations. In homage to her, I present you with Tempeh-Too-Good-For-Words Burger. I've been looking for a good Tempeh Burger recipe. Oh, I've tried, trust me. I've thrown out my share of "you couldn't possibly think I'm gonna eat that" burgers. But this one is a keeper. Thank you to Beverly Lynn Bennett for the inspiration. Her recipe for Too-Tempting Burgers was posted on the Veg News website. These are the five changes I made:

soy tempeh instead of multigrain tempeh which isn't gluten free
button mushrooms instead of crimini mushrooms
added sea salt
chickpea flour instead of whole wheat or spelt, neither of which is gluten free
wheat-free tamari instead of regular tamari

These are the three additional changes for the next time I make them:
I will use dried basil and oregano and eliminate the thyme and rosemary
I will add one clove fresh, minced garlic
I will add a little bit of Dijon Mustard to the mixture before forming them into burgers

Tempeh-Too-Good-For-Words Burger
adapted from Beverly Lynn Bennett
(Printable Recipe)

One 8 oz pkg soy tempeh (with no gluten-containing grains in it)
3/4 cup onion, diced small
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp each dried basil, thyme, and rosemary (see note below)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup chickpea flour (or other GF flour)
2 tbsp wheat-free tamari

Cut the tempeh into 1/2 cubes. Steam for 15 minutes. Remove from steamer basket and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Saute the onion in olive oil for 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes.

Add the balsamic vinegar, dried herbs, garlic and onion powder, black pepper, sea salt. Saute another 2 minutes.

Remove mixture from skillet and put in a mixing bowl.

Using your fingers, crumble the steamed, cooled tempeh and place in a separate bowl. Add the sauteed mixture, chickpea flour, and wheat-free tamari. Stir well to thoroughly combine. Form into 4 burger patties.

Cook burgers on heated bbq grill for about 5 minutes or until browned to your liking; flip the burgers and cook on the other side. I put the burgers in a separate grill tray (with holes in it for drainage) which I put on the bbq grill. I think this is essential to the burgers not burning.

These can also be cooked in a skillet on the stovetop.

Serve with your favorite GF bread or rolls. Slather with ketchup, top with a few onion slices and crisp romaine lettuce. Or do like I did and serve between two flour tortillas (I froze a whole batch of them specifically for this purpose).

Like I said, too good for words.