Plants are tasty and can be cooked in so many delicious ways. This Vegan Gluten-Free Burger with Baked Breaded Summer Squash & Cashew Yogurt Aioli Sauce is one amazing tasty burger. The baked breaded squash slices are fully flavoured and bring a new concept of what a plant-based burger can be made of. It's not the classic veggie patty that you're used to in a burger, but it's super tasty nevertheless. Adding fresh yogurt aioli sauce complements the burger, and it makes it finger-licking good. It's layered, simple, delicious, guaranteed you'll be asking for seconds.

Baked Breaded Summer Squash in a burger? Yes! Have you tried it before? If not, I sure hope you're interested and continue to read this post.

Now, if the squash family is not your favourite, that's ok. Still, you should try cooking the squash this way, if you haven't before, and there might be a chance you'll like it.

Where do I begin? How about my childhood. Yes, this recipe, more specifically fried and battered squash is an all-time childhood favourite. Not the burger part. :) I didn't even know there is such thing until my early twenties. But, nevermind the burger. Fried summer squash was a delicious summer recipe that my mom and my grandmothers used to prepare. We always served it on top of bread slices, and with a tomato garlic salad on the side. This is where I got the concept of this burger, my friends. It's more like an updated posh version of my childhood meal.

What would my grandmothers say looking at my version of the fried battered squash slices? Preparing this recipe, I laughed out loud at what I could imagine one of my grandmothers say. Haha! I could almost hear her say the words 'What in the world is this'? Guaranteed she would love the food if I could convince her to eat it. Super funny, I know! :)

 The original recipe has eggs in the batter composition, and of course less healthy since it was dunked and fried in oil. Fried foods are so craved by everyone and for a good reason. They're super tasty and trust me, I had my share while growing up. Romanian cuisine does use a lot of oil to prepare the foods. Delicious recipes but lots of oil. :)  A lot of cuisines around the world use the same concept to make their foods. Generations over generations passed on the traditional recipes, and that's the beauty of this world's cuisines.

Recipes can be changed, improved, swapping ingredients or adding new ones. There are so many options for cooking a dish and discovering new ways to bring out flavours or just adjusting them to the lifestyle of our choice.

So, yes my friends, I've basically reinvented one of my childhood favourite dishes, made it plant-based and kept it on the healthy side. I did try to avoid oil altogether, but it didn't come out as tasty. The thought of getting an air fryer crossed my mind, and that is next on my list. I avoid using oil in my cooking, and when I do, I only use a dash or mainly brush the pans with it for non-sticking purposes. The only oil that I allow myself to use in baking mostly is the organic raw coconut oil. If you're used to cooking with more oil and feel comfortable doing so, continue on.

 When it comes to the bread crumbs, my choice was to use gluten-soy-nuts-dairy-free crumbs. I wanted to keep the healthy vibe going, but you can freely use the bread crumbs of your choice. Adding Italian seasoning and onion powder to the batter really enhanced the flavour of the baked slices. They're tasty period. Plus the smoked sweet paprika on top? I loved the end result and the overall taste I've achieved with this recipe makeover.

The only downside, if I may call it that, is that you need a specific type of squash. It's called Cousa squash. I've included some pictures below so you can see exactly which one I mean. Maybe you have access to plenty in your corner of the world, but I had a hard time finding it in my area. In fact, I've kind of twisted my colleague's arm to get one.  All the effort to get my hands on that squah. Long story, not getting into it! :)

All in all, the effort paid off. It's one delicious plant-based burger that it's worth trying out. If you don't want to serve it in the burger form, you can prep the squash and the aioli sauce, and serve along with a salad or other baked veggies, or even rice. So many possibilities. All I'm saying is that you need to try making this appetizing not fried, but baked battered and breaded squash.

Dive right into the recipe, my friends.

Give me a shout if you have any questions, and don't forget to like, comment and share this super delish recipe.

Warmly,

T