Quinoa Burgers

drinking: Dogfish Head Tweason'ale
listening to: The Biggest Loser on the TV

Hello! Sorry my blogging has been so inconsistent.  These burgers will definitely make up for it. I will be making something else this weekend too, so be on the lookout for a second post this week. :)

I have been cooking a lot at home the last few weeks but have not had much time to blog because of work.  One of my monthly goals for March is to strictly eat at home (mostly to cut out eating lunch on the go which is getting way too expensive!) so, I will have many more recipes to share.

my version of burger goodness

I had a delicious quinoa burger while on my recent trip to Colorado, so I wanted to do some experimenting with a few recipes and come up with one I could make at home.  I have created a great combination of a few recipes.  I used sweet potato and black beans to add texture to the burgers, and I absolutely love these flavors together.  I threw some avocado in to the recipe (because I find it almost impossible to not include this in every meal!) and knew it was then ready to share. 

The ingredients in this recipe mesh together into a truly savory combination.  I mixed together black beans, green onion, regular onion, garlic, bread crumbs, quinoa, a little sriracha, and an egg with the sweet potato.

the germ separated from the seed

If you haven't jumped on the quinoa bandwagon, you really should.  Quinoa is a grain-like edible seed that is a complete protein, meaning it has all essential amino acids present.  It is also a great source for fiber and is gluten free.  If you check out the natural grocery aisle, you will find pasta noodles that are now made from quinoa! It's pretty cool stuff.  I like to make a half cup or so of quinoa in the beginning of the week and throw some in with whatever I am making that week.  It is perfect replacement for rice in any rice dish or in soups.  Preparation of quinoa is as simple as rice, just needing to be boiled until the germ separates from the seed.







In this recipe, I first smashed half of the black beans in a bowl, then combined them with the rest of the whole black beans and a boiled and diced sweet potato.

Next, I added the rest of the ingredients until combined and formed them in to patties, fired up the pan with a little bit of EVOO, seasoned the patties and cooked them in the pan.  I whipped up an avocado aioli with mayo and garlic and topped the cooked patties with this delectable spread.  I chose to eat mine without a bun, but these would go great on a fresh baked bun, ciabatta bread, or even sliced in a tortilla/wrap.

Quinoa Burgers with Avocado Aioli

Makes: 5 patties

Time: ~30 minutes

Ingredients:

Burgers

1 sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and diced

8oz black beans

2 green onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/4 c yellow onion, rough chop

1/2 c quinoa, prepared

1/4 c panko bread crumbs

1.5 tsp oregano

1 Tbsp sriracha

1 egg, whisked

salt & pepper to season

chili powder to season

1 tbsp olive oil (optional - for frying in pan)

Avocado Aioli

1 avocado, smashed

1 Tbsp mayo

1 small clove garlic, chopped

Directions:

1. Boil sweet potato for 20-3o minutes and cool.  Peel and dice.

2. Mash half of the black beans and half of the sweet potato together, then add the rest of both until combined.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients, combining with your hands and forming in to desired size of patties.

4. Season patties with a little s&p and chili powder.

5. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in frying pan to med-high heat and add patties.  Cook until brown on first side, about 4 minutes.  Flip patties and season with more chili powder and cook another 4 minutes.

6. While patties are cooking, make the aioli by combining smashed avocado with mayo and garlic.

7. Top patties with the avocado aioli.

Serve with more sriracha on top, on a bun, in a tortilla, or by itself!

Use the 'Pin It!' button below to add to your pinterest for later.  You can follow me in twitter at @veggie_ology to see more food pictures through the week.  

Happy cooking,

Nat