Best Veggie pattie ever!

I'm a newbie to cooking with tofu, and to be quite honest, every time I've ever had it or sampled it, (with the exception of Willy's) it has always tasted like bland tasteless pieces of something, not sure what to call it.  Now I look at it as a blank canvas, waiting to be turned into something yummy.

I was doing some reading about the different ways to make tofu taste great, and I came across Michael Natkin and Herbivoracious.com and he suggested bringing water to a boil and  pouring  some hot salted water over the tofu and letting it soak for 15 minutes, then drain it, then pat it dry.  This makes it crispier when you cook it. Like him I don't understand the science behind the soaking either, but I tell you no lie, this crust on the pattie after it was cooked was so good. From now on this will be my first step when cooking (especially grilling or pan frying) tofu. Visit Herbivoracious he gives step by step instructions on how to make tofu taste really good. 

Ingredients
1 pound extra firm tofu (hot water prepared and pressed) then crumbled (I made 8 patties)
2 cups of rolled oats meal finely ground (put oatmeal in food processor to make this)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms, plus any other vegetables chopped that you may want to add
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you want a real kick)
2 tablespoon Olive Oil

Mix well all ingredients together except oil in bowl. When mixed, let sit in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Take out, and form patties:

Before adding to pan

Heat oil in pan on low/medium low heat.  Once heated, add patties.  Brown 5 to 7 minutes per side, or to your likeness.

Ready to devour!

These will go good on a bun with your favorite condiments and burger fixins too, but I enjoyed mine as a side with some veggies, and the Mac N "NO" cheese I told you about a couple of days ago.  So good! 

Enjoy!