Southwest Black Bean and Quinoa Burger

While we like our veggies in this family, it is hard to convince some family members to go meatless for the occasional meal.  So when I decided to go with a Meatless Monday this week it was met with resistance.  Well, guess what?  It was a delicious experiment.   My oldest heard “veggie burger” and went “No way!”, but I sort of shoved it in his face and told him to try it.  His reaction was “You never said it would taste like Mexican Black Beans.  I’m going to have one after my bike ride.”  Can you hear my eyes rolling?  You’d think he’d know by now that I know what I’m doing!  Since there is no tweaking required, I’m posting the recipe right away.  We garnished with avocado, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and Tomatillo Salsa.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5-6 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• 1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 cup panko
• 2 tsp Mexican Seasonings
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Preparation

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let cool before using.
2. Put half of beans in a large bowl and mash them with a fork to a rough paste consistency.  Add in the rest of the beans, quinoa, red pepper, garlic, red onion, carrot, panko, and Mexican Seasonings.  Using your hands, blend everything together.
3. Scoop out by the handful and shape into patties. Makes 6 patties.  Brush both sides of the patties with BBQ sauce.
4. Preheat a flat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook patties for 2-3 minutes per side until warmed through and BBQ sauce is sticky.
5. Serve on toasted buns with your favourite burger toppings.

Tips

• If you can stand the spice level, add finely diced jalapeno or Serrano peppers into the patty blend.
• Cut leftover patties into pieces and use them for nachos, or cut them in half and make them into tacos for a crunchy, protein-packed snack.
• For a crunchier patty, bake them in the oven for about 25 minutes before basting them in the BBQ sauce.

If you try this recipe, please let us know how it turns out for you.  If you change anything, let us know how that works for you, too. And please include pictures of your results!