These are surprisingly good, even for meat lovers. Spice them up to suit your own taste. Serve them as a meal or form into small patties for appetizers. The mixture can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.

1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 cup zucchini, finely chopped
1 cup mushroom, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning such as Montreal steak seasoning
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
dash hot red pepper sauce, to taste
1/2 cup flour

In a medium skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil. Cook onion until translucent. Place onion in a food processor. Add carrots and process until finely chopped. Spoon into skillet. Add zucchini to food processor and process until finely chopped. Spoon into skillet. Add mushroom to food processor and process until finely chopped. Spoon into skillet. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Drain any excess liquid. Add soy sauce, steak seasoning, and egg. Stir to mix well.

Add oats and cheese. Stir to mix. Add salt, pepper and red pepper sauce to taste. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Form cooked vegetable mixture into patties of desired size. They will be very sticky. (If they are too sticky to handle, add a small amount of additional oats.) Drop each patty into the flour and lightly coat both sides.

In a medium skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook veggie patties over medium-hot heat until golden brown and crisp on both sides.

Note: To adjust seasoning to your taste, cook a small patty and taste it. Add additional seasoning if desired.

Serves 6

Nutritional Information per serving:

Calories: 155
Fat, gm.: 6
Protein, gm.: 6
Carbs, gm.: 19
Cholesterol, mg.: 35
Fiber, gm.: 2.3