Come to think of it, as a family we never go to burger joints since most of them don’t offer vegetarian choices and some that do are just too greasy. I used to make a simple vegetable patty with potatoes as the main ingredient at home. However, what ended up happening was an overload of carbs with the the patty and the burger bread.
I decided to switch to a healthier and tastier version and brought quinoa into the limelight. This balanced out the missing protein in the burger and decreased the potatoes needed in the recipe. I also started adding some flax meal to help bind the patties better. The patties are cooked on a heavy cast iron griddle with very little oil which helps me not feel guilty about devouring this burger. Even though making the patty is a little time consuming, it is worth the effort because it comes together so beautifully with the rest of the ingredients.I want to share this recipe with you because I know you are going to love it and you will never miss going to a burger joint again.
Quinoa Burgers
Level of difficulty - medium I Serves: 8-10 I Prep time: 1hr 15min I Assembly time: 15min I
Ingredients List:
3 Tbsp Canola oil
1 medium white onion, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
6 cremini mushrooms, diced small
½ zucchini, diced small
1 carrot, diced small
½ red pepper, diced small
¼ cup frozen/fresh edamame bean,cooked
½ can black Del Negro beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup quinoa, washed and cooked
2 Idaho potatoes, cooked and mashed
¼ cup scallions, chopped
¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp flax meal
¼ tsp red chilli flakes
¼ tsp Tex-Mex seasoning
Salt to taste
bread crumbs for coating the patty
oil for cooking the patties
Additional ingredients required:
8 burger buns, cut in half
4-6 tsp butter
8 tsp basil pesto
8 tsp garlic aioli
2 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced in circles, thin
1 red onion, sliced in circles, thin
A few torn leaves of Romaine lettuce
Sliced cheese of your choice ( I use pepper jack)
Preparation:
For the patty - Start with heating oil in a heavy bottom vessel. Add the next 4 ingredients (onion, garlic, jalapeno and mushroom) to the oil and cooking for a few minutes till the onions are translucent. Next, add the zucchini, red pepper, carrots and season with salt. Cover the vessel so that the vegetables can cook, stirring every few minutes while the burner is on a low/medium flame. The black beans, edamame beans, quinoa, and potatoes go in next. Mix well and add the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and spices according to personal preference. The mixture should look something like this…
Once the mixture has cooled down, shape them into round, thick, flat disks and roll them over bread crumbs. The patties are now ready and can be cooked on the griddle with a little oil until they have a nice brown color to them.
For the assembly:
Butter both halves, top and bottom, of the burger buns and cook them on the griddle to get a nice light brown color. Flip the buns and cook the other side as well. Now, on the bottom half of the bun place the sliced cheese and put it under a broiler till the cheese melts.Top the cheease with a spoon of aioli and keep aside. To the other half that does not have cheese, spread some basil pesto and.
Now for the actual assembly of the burger, place the quinoa patty on the bottom half the burger bun. Top with lettuce, onion, tomato and the top half of the bun. The burger is ready and can be enjoyed with a side of crunchy potato chips.