Quinoa and Greens Burger — Recipes for Health

I wanted to work on veggie burgers because I have never had a commercial one that I liked. They all taste overprocessed to me, with no fresh flavors. I’ve had much better luck making burgers from Lukas Volger’s excellent cookbook “Veggie Burgers Every Which Way.” I especially like his bean and vegetable combos.

Puréed beans make a great binder for grain and vegetable burgers, and an egg added to the mixture will help to hold it together. (If you want to keep them vegan you can, though you have to be careful when you flip the burgers over because they tend to fall apart.) I found that all of these burgers somehow tasted better a day after they were assembled ? the flavors had gelled, the burgers held together better, and a burger that seemed a bit dry to me right after cooking did not seem so dry the next day when reheated. I can’t tell you why.

Like Mr. Volger, I found the best way to cook these vegetarian burgers was to brown them on one side in an ovenproof frying pan, then turn them and stick the pan in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes. Turning can be tricky, but if the burgers do crumble, just patch them back together with your spatula, apply a little pressure and put the pan into the oven.

I find that the burgers stand alone just fine, but a little ketchup or relish can be nice, especially if you are used to the juiciness of a meat burger. Buns, of course, will add a significant number of calories and carbs, but that’s how my son enjoyed his, with the works.

Quinoa and Greens Burger

I used rainbow quinoa and beet greens for this. I like the rainbow quinoa because it’s pretty and because the red, black and golden quinoa grains all have slightly different textures.

1 bunch beet greens, stemmed and washed (1/2 to 3/4 pound)

2 cups cooked quinoa, preferably rainbow quinoa

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, as needed

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

2/3 cup finely chopped carrot

2/3 cup finely chopped onion

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and crushed in a mortar and pestle or spice mill

2 garlic cloves

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)

1 egg (optional)

Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Either steam the beet greens for 2 minutes above 1 inch boiling water, or blanch in salted boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain, squeeze out excess water, and chop medium-fine. Place in a large bowl with the cooked quinoa.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are just about tender, about 3 minutes, and add the ginger and a pinch of salt. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant, and add the cumin and the garlic. Cook, stirring, for another minute, and remove from the heat. Stir into the quinoa mixture.

3. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or in a bowl using a fork or a potato masher, purée the chickpeas with the lemon juice and, if using, the egg. Add to the quinoa mixture and stir everything together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Begin heating a heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Seasoned cast iron is good, and so is a heavy nonstick pan that can go into the oven. Moisten your hands lightly and shape 4 large or 6 smaller patties. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and, working in batches if necessary, cook the patties for 1 to 2 minutes on one side, until nicely browned. Carefully turn the patties over and place the pan in the oven. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the patties are lightly browned; if they fall apart you can patch them together with some pressure from the spatula. Remove from the heat and serve, with or without buns, ketchup and the works.

Yield: 4 to 6 burgers.

Advance preparation: These can be put together and shaped up to 3 days before browning. They can also be cooked ahead and reheated in a low oven or in a pan on the stove. Keep them well wrapped in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per serving (4 servings): 273 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 38 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 548 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 10 grams protein

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: April 2, 2012

An earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of the author of “Veggie Burgers Every Which Way.” He is Lukas Volger, not Luke.

View the original article here

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