Quinoa Veggie Burgers

I recently ordered the cookbook 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake. She is a whole food blogger that I have been following for years and I was so excited when she announced that she had a cookbook coming out. Of course I bought it the second I could. I have been trying the recipes this week and all of them are so good. No I am not being paid to say this, the recipes are just THAT good!

Today I tried out her quinoa veggie burgers and it was like I had died and gone to heaven. It was one of the best tasting veggie burgers I have had in a long time! Full of flavour, filling and healthy! What more could you ask for? I was so excited about it I shared one with my neighbours ha ha. 

(She loved it too by the way.)

I usually don't include dairy in my recipes but this called for sharp cheddar cheese and I'm glad I didn't sub anything out in the recipe. I just made it exactly as it was written on the paper. If you are looking to get rid of the dairy, maybe try nutritional yeast in replace of the cheddar cheese. Let me know if you try it and it works out, but DON'T pass up making this delicious burger!

(I halved the recipe and it made about 5 burgers.)

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked quinoa - cooked according to the package directions

2/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup minced carrots 

1/3 cup minced onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 eggs

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Directions 

In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the olive oil. Wet hands and form the quinoa mixture into 8 patties about 1 inch thick. Place on a clean plate or cutting board. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the burgers to the pan, cover and cook until the bottoms are browned (6-8 minutes). Covering the pan will ensure the burgers cook all the way through the middle without overcooking on the outside. Flip and repeat. If the pan is looking dry, add in a little more oil. 

Serve warm topped with hummus and an avocado and wrapped in lettuce leaves. These make great leftovers and can be frozen.  Enjoy - Alex