Black Bean Quinoa Burger

Ok guys, I've featured a lot of burgers on my blog. The thing with veggie "burgers" is that they don't always mimick the taste of real burgers. Not that they're supposed to taste like meat, but some of the flavors are VERY exotic and really don't have the real "burger feel." Well this burger is the BEST burger I've fixed, and it's a great vegan/vegetarian replacement if you want the "burger feel" with your favorite burger toppings!

Black Bean Quinoa Burger
Source: Adapted from Vegetarian Times July/August 2011 Issue
Made 6 Burgers

Ingredients

 1/2 cup quinoa

1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)

6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped (1/4 cup)

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

2 tsp. Todd's Dirt (It's a seafood seasoning, similar to Old Bay, you can also use steak seasoning)

8 whole-grain hamburger buns

 Directions

1. Stir together quinoa and 11/4 cups water in small saucepan, and season with salt, if desired. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. (You should have 11/2 cups cooked quinoa.)

2. Meanwhile, place onion and sun-dried tomatoes in medium nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat. (The oil left on the tomatoes should be enough to sauté the onion.) Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion has softened. Stir in 3/4 cup black beans, garlic, steak seasoning, and 11/2 cups water. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

3. Transfer bean-onion mixture to food processor, add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl, and stir in remaining 3/4 cup quinoa and remaining 3/4 cup black beans. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and cool. 

4. Preheat oven to 350°F, and generously coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Shape bean mixture into 8 patties (1/2 cup each), and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until patties are crisp on top. Flip patties with spatula, and bake 10 minutes more, or until both sides are crisp and brown. Serve on buns.

I used my FAVORITE burger toppings for this one which are: cheddar cheese, mustard, mayo, lettuce and onion! Note: With my new addition (Naja), I'm making it a point to have a protein in every meal. You will see a lot more uses of protein-rich ingredients to allow me to do this!