An easy burger for a lazy summer day. Served with a little wild mushroom couscous.

I love smoked foods all the time, but nothing inspires one to cook outdoors like weather topping 100 degrees.  So when we hit an all time record high temperature in Seattle this summer I ran out and got myself a new grill in hopes of avoiding doing any cooking indoors.  While almost any vegetable works well on the grill simply with olive oil, salt and pepper, I decided to go a little further and smoke my own tofu along with some slabs of eggplant for a tasty home made burger that beats any store bought patty. Vegan hamburger buns can be hard to come by (I use Rudy’s Organic, which are becoming more and more available). If you can’ get a hold of any use any good roll or bread you can find. This would be great on a nice ciabatta or a fresh Kaiser roll.  The leftover tofu and eggplant make a great cold sandwich as well.

Marinade:

2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp soy sauce (I used a mushroom soy sauce)
3 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp mustard

1 packager extra firm tofu (super firm is best if you can find it), drained and cut into 6-8 slices.
eggplant, cut into ½ in-1 in slices
salt
pepper
olive oil
buns, rolls, or bread
Vegan mayo
2-4 cups smoking chips (I used hickory), soaked in water for at least 30 min

While your chips are soaking mix the ingredients for the marinade and combine with tofu in a large plastic bag. Let sit in the fridge until you are ready to put it on the grill, turning occasionally.  You can also prepare the marinade in advance and marinade the tofu overnight.

To prepare the eggplant, place the slices in a colander in the sink or over a large bowl and salt liberally. Let sit for at least 10 min. The eggplant should release much of its liquid. Rinse lightly, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Start your grill. Drain the woodchips and place them in a metal container such as an old soup can or a package of aluminum foil. When your coals are ready, build your fire as far to one side of the grill as possible and place your container of chips on top of the Coles. If your chips dry out and start to flame up during cooking, spray with a squirt bottle filled with water or just poor a little water into the container.

Brush grill with oil and place tofu on the side farthest from the coals. Cover your grill and smoke for about 20 min. before adding the eggplant to the grill. Flip the tofu and brush with leftover marinade when you add the eggplant.

Smoke for another 20 min.  Check the eggplant occasionally to make sure it is not burning or overcooked (this will depend on how hot your grill is).  After smoking I finished cooking over the hot side of the grill to get some good grill marks and a little char on the edges. If the eggplant is already fully cooked, just remove it from the grill. You want the eggplant to hold together enough to come off the grill, but soft enough that it will melt into the sandwich.

Watch for flame ups. Keep food out of direct flame as it will quickly charr.

To assemble

Cut your buns and toast lightly on the grill. Spread each side of the bun with mayo. Place a slice of eggplant on the bun, followed by 2 slices of tofu and another slice of eggplant. Top with the other half of the bun and enjoy!

Variations

You can add a little red chili or some of your favorite hot sauce to the marinade if you want something a little bolder, or you can marinade in your favorite BBQ sauce or marinade.

Add pretty much whatever you want to the burger. Caramelized onions, tomato, and some arugula would be tops on my list of additions.