Guilt-Free Quinoa Veggie Burger. As a burger lover, I have to admit that I love a fresh burger right off the grill, hot and juicy and piled high with toppings. Most vegetarians will readily admit that this is the biggest challenge for those of us following a plant-based diet – the lack of a flavorful burger.
I’ve tried many recipes, and for the most part, they were either dry and tasteless or soggy and falling apart. I was about to throw up my hands until I found this Guilt-Free Quinoa Veggie Burger recipe.
Quinoa, sweet potatoes, chickpeas and zucchini combine with flax meal and pumpkin seeds to create a protein-packed, healthy veggie burger. The ingredients bind well together without the need for fillers that usually result in dry, tasteless burgers.
First, I pan-fried the Quinoa Veggie Burger and then finished them off in the oven. The outside of the burger patties was crispy, while the inside remained moist. A winner.
The Guilt-Free Quinoa Veggie Burger recipe made seven very generous-sized patties. If you don’t plan on eating the burgers right away, freeze them for the next time you crave a burger.
Guilt-Free Quinoa Veggie Burger
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth low-sodium
- 1 medium sweet potato diced
- 1 cup red quinoa uncooked, rinsed well
- 1 cup chickpeas cooked
- 1 small zucchini grated
- 5½ tablespoons flaxseeds ground
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Put the sweet potato and quinoa in a pot with the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a bowl to cool (I put it in the fridge to speed this up).
- Add the chickpeas, zucchini, pumpkin seeds, ground flax, salt, pepper, chili powder and thyme to the quinoa mixture. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash the chickpeas and sweet potatoes, leaving some chunks. Shape into 7 patties depending on how big you want them.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the patties for about 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Transfer the Quinoa Veggie Burger to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Alternatively, the burgers can be cooked on the grill for about 10 minutes.
- Some suggested toppings: avocados, tomatoes, mushrooms, sautéed onions or vegan cheese. For an added kick, I mixed sriracha sauce with vegan mayonnaise and used that instead of catsup. Amazing!