Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Veggie Burgers - total staple in our diet for quick eating.  Great for a lunch or dinner.  I'm a little tired of the lazy pre-made (but oh so easy...) store bought veggie burg.  So, over the next few weeks I'll be trying out various veggie burger recipes I find (let me know if you have a good recipe & I'll try it out).

Finished product with toppings!

Today I tried out these Quinoa Veggie Burgers today (click to check out the video from ifood network).  I did make a few tweaks - I used ground flax seed as an egg replacement - and added hemp seeds - plus I didn't have green onion so I used 1/2 an onion - etc.  Pretty much it seemed to work well even with the changes.  This recipe said it made 4 big burgers - I was able to make 7 good sized patties (the extra went in the freezer).

Easy to Make?   3/5 - they were pretty easy but if you don't have a good sized food processor (like me) you'll struggle a bit.  Goes up to 4.5/5 with a good food processor!

Taste & texture? 4/5 Not too beany or grainy - they tasted very good - Kris went back for seconds.  They did fall apart a little but not like my other attempts (to be expected).

Would I make them again?  You bet (chances increase exponentially if I get a larger food processor)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Cooked & slightly cooled Quinoa
• 1 Medium Carrot chopped (1 cup chopped)
• 1/2 small Onion chopped
• 1 - 15 ounce can of White Beans (I used navy beans)
• 1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed - mixed w/ 3 Tbsp Water (put to side)
• Hemp Seeds (optional)
• 1 Tbsp Cumin
• 1 Tsp Salt
• Ground Pepper to taste

Cook time: 8 minutes/ side with oil in a good fry pan

1. Cook the Quinoa (1/2 cup dry with 1 cup water, boil covered in pot like rice - reduce heat when boiled and leave around 10 minutes).  There will be instructions on the box.  Set aside to cool in a separate bowl.

Found at SafeWay close to the rice

Cooked Quinoa cooling off

2. Chop up the carrot (1 cup chopped) & onion (1/2 small chopped) in the food processor.  (I used frozen carrots I had bought at the market on super sale & chopped up).

Use 1/2 the Onion

Around 1 cup chopped carrot

3. Add all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Mix.  Add to food processor and process just a bit - need lots of texture to make this work.

1 Egg Replacer:  1 Tbsp Ground Flax + 3 Tbsp Water (I added a spoonful of hemp seeds)

Full tablespoon of Cumin

1/3 cup bread crumbs

Rinse the can of cooked beans in cool water

Add everything into the bowl & mix it up

If you don't have a larger food processor this will be a little time consuming

4. Grab chunks to make balls - put on wax paper or something you can get them off - squash them into patties around 1/2 inch thick.

Processed & Mixed - Make balls & Flatten them

Patties ready to fry

5. Cook around 8 minutes per side in a fry pan with two tablespoons of oil.  Serve up with whatever type of burger toppings you like!  Today I went for homemade jalapenos, red pepper rings, hummus, mustard,  ketchup & sour relish.  Yum.

8 minutes each side with 2 Tbsp of Oil (I used Safflower oil)