Quinoa Garden Burger

A few weeks ago my hubs took me out for a nice dinner. It can be really challenging to find healthy food to eat when you go out to eat. We settled on a local restaurant and much to my surprise they had menu that was entirely vegetarian!!! Wow, I was impressed. I ordered a really flavorful garden burger and I loved it. I knew I had to recreate something similar at home where I knew for sure everything that was going into it!

I'll admit I've never had much luck with garden burgers. They either are really bland or they fall apart. It's been quite disappointing.

After playing around a little bit I decided instead of rice I wanted to use quinoa with the beans and vegetables. I wanted to have kind of a southwest burger that had some kick to it. I will say I think I should've added a few more spices, but this has turned into the best garden burger I've made! I was really happy with how it turned out. Thank goodness! It makes me feel much better knowing that I've got natural, whole food in these babies and very low sodium! You can add different vegetables, or use rice instead of quinoa. You can change the beans you use, these are very versatile!

I was worried that I would spend two hours making them, but they were put together really quickly that is always a plus in my book! Make these your own, and you will adore them! Enjoy

Quinoa Garden Burger

2 C cooked quinoa

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 red bell pepper

1 C frozen corn

1/2 C chopped green onion

3 carrots, grated

1/2 C sunflower nuts

1/2 T cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 T Mrs. Dash seasoning

1 tsp taco seasoning (optional)

Chop vegetables and combine with seasonings in small bowl

In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa and beans and mash together. You can leave some beans whole or mash them completely! Get a great arm workout while you cook! Combine quinoa mixture with vegetables in the large bowl.

Shape into small patties and place them in oiled skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned on both sides. Be careful not to let them burn, however you don't want the insides to be mushy and cold. 

Serve warm with all the burger fixins you want! For a gluten free option try them in a lettuce wrap, or just eat the patty with a BBQ dipping sauce! 

Yes I love pickles, and I added a big fat one to my burger :)