Most of the time I make veggie burgers I don’t measure the ingredients (because I’m often in fridge scraping mode, trying to use up whatever odds and ends are on their last legs).
Throwing things in a bowl, mashing them up, and hoping they hold together and taste good doesn’t always turn out. For better odds, I should probably follow a real recipe. One of these days I’ll plan ahead like that…but for this recipe, I was in kitchen clean out mode. At least I wrote down the recipe this time! Progress…
Quinoa, Bean & Kale veggie burgers [vegan, soy free, nut free, gluten free]
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 3/4 cups roasted salted sunflower seeds
- 1 cup black beans (I didn’t drain them so there was a little bit of bean juice)
- 2 leaves kale, de-stemmed
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds + 1/2 cup liquid (I used plain hemp milk, but water will work too)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Directions:
Cook quinoa (~ 1 cup uncooked yields ~2 cups cooked, but I used exactly 2 cups).
Meanwhile, add sunflower seeds, beans, and kale to a food processor and pulse until kale is incorporated into the burger “meat” and the beans and seeds are fairly well ground but still have some chunks (see photo below).
Combine flax and liquid, stir it, and let it sit. Once it’s “gelled” add it to the food processor with the spices and pulse until combined.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the quinoa and the food processor ingredients and stir.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non stick (or line with parchment paper).
Mash 1/6th of the burger “meat” together to form patties. It should stick together if you use your hands.
Bake in the oven for ~30 minutes.
Notes:
You could swap any bean for the black beans (cannellini, garbanzo, kidney, etc.).
If you’re not sensitive to nuts, feel free to try cashews or almonds in place of the sunflower seeds.
Instead of kale, any dark leafy greens will do (spinach, chard, etc.).
I wanted to keep mine wheat free (since it has beans and I try sticking to one FODMAP per meal), so I ate it sans bread. And yes, I’m so lazy that I didn’t even bother to melt the daiya cheese.
Kyle had his stuffed in a pita with tomatoes, ketchup, and (real) cheese.
We each had two because…we did. Do I need a reason? No.
The next day we had leftovers. Kyle’s is the above creation, with Dave’s Killer bread, tomatoes, and Sabra roasted pine nut hummus.
They hold together okay – not totally great – you still have to handle them semi delicately. Some crumbles needed to be taken care of with a fork at the end. And by fork I mean tongue.
I still haven’t ever made my own veggie burgers! I need to do it too since most on the market have soy in them!
“And by fork I mean tongue.”
LOL!
They looked like they worked pretty well. As an alternative spice, I like to use a teaspoon or so of one the Patak’s curry pastes.
I’ve yet to fall in love with quinoa. I just don’t think it’s for me in any way, shape or form for some reason. It’s just too light or something. Anyway, I do love a good veggie burger though, so these still look pretty good 🙂
Do you think I could sub mushrooms for the beans? I am gluten free and beans also don’t sit well with me. I am also dairy free.
wait. you dont like quinoa?!?! ummm, im not sure if we can be friends anymore ;P
im not sure. as i kinda alluded to in this post, im not the best with veggie burgers. i think beans really help them hold together. you may need more of a binder (extra flax or an egg or two if youre not vegan) to hold them together if you nix the beans. if you try it lemme know how it works!
good call on the pataks!
check out sunshine burgers. theyre delish.
I don’t hate it, but prefer farro and brown rice. Quinoa is too light for me and it feels like I’m eating air, no matter how many veggies or amount of Earth Balance I bathe it in. 😉
Ummmmm YUM! Who needs a fork when you have your tongue?
Yum!! I love using quinoa in homemade veggie burgers. The greatest difficulty that I have with them is getting them to stay together! :/
I will. Thanks!
I actually don’t mind when my veggie burgers don’t hold together- it makes them easier to eat throughout the week mixed into salads and stuff! I work at The Counter (which I know you have in Santa Monica!) and our Vegan Veggie Burger is seriously to die for! If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend it. They hand-make them every morning with only 11 ingredients. (:
loooove counter. ive tried that burger – its awesome. i love doing a hawaiian themed creation w pineapple. mmmm.
This recipe sounds delicious. Must try it!