These meat-free, vegan sliders cook great on the grill. Since my grill is currently buried under 14 inches of snow, I used an indoor smokeless grill, with excellent results. For the mushrooms, I used a combination of shiitakes and dried wild mushrooms. If you can’t find wild mushrooms, substitute portobellos or crimini mushrooms. Polenta is an excellent binding ingredient and makes the sliders easier to work with, but you could swap quinoa for a grain-free option; if so, add about 3 tablespoons of ground flax to help the patties bind. You can serve these on slider buns, gluten-free baguette slices, or a bed of arugula or other greens. I made a simple basil aioli-ish sauce instead of mayo: just whisk minced basil leaves, finely minced garlic (I used a garlic press) and a little lemon juice into vegan or other mayo.
Serves 4 to 6 (makes 12 sliders)
2 cups vegetable stock, plus additional if needed
1/2 cup dry polenta
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups coarsely chopped wild mushrooms
1 small leek, chopped (white part only)
1 cup black beans, drained well and patted dry
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1. In a small, heavy saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Whisk in polenta in a slow, steady stream. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Polenta should be soft and very thick; add a little additional stock if needed during cooking. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. While polenta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and leek, and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until mushrooms are golden and leeks are tender. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. In a food processor, combine mushrooms, leeks, black beans, chives and nutritional yeast. Pulse to coarsely chop ingredients. Add polenta and continue pulsing until mixture is mostly smooth, but with some texture.
4. Form into 12 small sliders. Transfer to a parchment-lined platter or baking sheet and refrigerate for about an hour, until they’re very firm.
5. To cook sliders: remove from refrigerator and brush both sides of each slider with additional olive oil. Grill on a preheated grill over medium heat. (Alternatively, you can roast them in a 400 degree oven until hot, or cook in olive oil in a large skillet.)
6. To serve, arrange each slider on a gluten-free slider bun. Serve immediately, with arugula, thinly sliced red onion, avocado and condiments.