Gluten-Free Quinoa Veggie Burgers

I’m currently going through a veggie burger phase and actually haven’t had a ‘regular’ (meat-based) burger in a really long time. I love how much variety and intricate vegetable combinations a veggie burger can have. The flavors can be anywhere from spicy and powerful to subtle and smooth. After eating a variety of veggie burgers, whether sweet potato, black bean, corn, or quinoa, I decided that I wanted to start making my own. The burgers not only seem like they would be fun to make but also delicious to eat. My plan was to start by following recipes and then move to my own designs.

I begin my veggie-burger project with a relatively simple quinoa veggie burger, and I LOVED it! My mom and I ate half a batch of burgers together, and despite the lack of meat in the burgers, we left the table feeling totally full. The egg, cheese, and quinoa were the perfect combination and I would highly recommend these for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike! ENJOY

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, at room temperature

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives

1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup or 15 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs- buy or simply cut gf bread into very small pieces

Water, if needed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture.
3. The dryer the mixture, the dryer the patties. I would reccomend leaving the mixture wet and sticky to create moist burgers. However if it is too dry, add additional breadcrumbs. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.
4. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 3-4 patties, if they’ll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned.
5. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes and continue to cook until the patties are browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden.
6. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook patties to order, if you prefer.

Love,

Ally