QUINOA YAM BURGERS

 
QUINOA-BURGER.jpg

Recipe & Photo by Sophie Mackenzie WHOLEHEARTED EATS

AUTHOR NOTES

While most associate burgers with summertime and barbecue, to me these are best eaten in the fall. Autumn veggies like yams, beets, squash, and mushrooms,  make for the tastiest veggie burgers. And besides, burgers are filling.  Unlike the summer when I like light and crisp food, colder months long for hearty and substantial meals, like this.

I made these burgers up the other day for one of our family evenings together. Initially we ate them warm from the oven on wholegrain sourdough buns, but the next day we had them cold on a bed of lettuce with chopped avocado, tomato, onion, and bell peppers- and that may have been even better that way! Because they contain quinoa, seeds, and garbanzo beans, they are hearty enough to eat on a salad, wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun, or even as the filling for a falafel style wrap.

Like most veggie burgers, these are a little messy when warm, but once they cooled they firm up quite a lot. I would recommend cooking them all at once as they reheat really well and would even freeze.

SERVES:   Makes 9 Patties

PREP TIME:  20 – 40 Min

COOKING TIME:  20 -30 Min

DIETARY CONSIDERATION: Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

INGREDIENTS 

  • 1 cup Dried Quinoa (any colour),rinsed

  • 2 cups Yam,  peeled and cubed into 2 cm cubes

  • 2 cups Water

  • 1 cup Cooked Chickpeas

  • 1 cup Grated Carrot

  • 1/2 cup Toasted Sunflower Seeds

  • 6 tbsp Ground Flax

  • 2 tbsp Parsley, chopped

  • 1 tsp Tamari

  • 1 tsp Cumin

  • 1 tsp Corriander

  • 1 tsp Black Pepper

  • 1/2 tsp Cayenne

  • 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika

  • 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp Sea Salt,  to taste

DIRECTIONS

Place quinoa, yam, and water  in a covered pot and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling turn down the heat to a low simmer and cook until the quinoa is tender and the water is fully absorbed – about 15-20 minutes.

Once cool, mix quinoa with the rest of the ingredients by hand. Making sure to mix in the ground flax well. While mixing, lightly brake up the larger pieces of yam and some of the chickpeas, being sure to leave to leave some  pieces still chunky. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. You will need more salt if you use fresh beans as opposed to canned ones.

Form patties using 1/2 cup of mixture. Fry the burgers patties in a skillet with a little oil until they are lightly brown on both sides.Once all the patties are all pan fried, place them on a baking sheet and back at 205 C (400 F) for 20 minutes. Let cool a bit prior to serving.

Can be served as a pat tie with salad or in a burger form.

 
Stacey Christie