QUINOA SPRING (ANYTIME) VEGGIE BURGER

This is a simple and tasty recipe, that is light and balancing for this time of year especially.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup of quinoa

2 cups of black beans or other beans (canned is fine)

1 onion diced

2 tsp. of cajun spice

2 scallions diced

1 shredded carrot

1/4 cup of diced spinach

1/2 to 1 cup of chickpea flour

1 tsp. of garlic powder

1 tsp. of sea salt (or salt to taste)

1/4 cup of coconut oil, ghee, or olive oil

2 1/2 cups of water

PREPARATION:

Step 1- In a skillet or large pan, add the oil and spices. Slightly saute the spices until you can smell them in the air. Next, add 3/4 cup of black beans, and onions. Stir the ingredients thoroughly. Add the water and keep the flame on medium so the mixture can simmer. Simmer the ingredients until most of the juice has evaporated. Leave just a little so it's not dry.

Step 2- While the above mixture is simmering, take a medium size pot and add 1 1/2 cup of water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Then, add the quinoa. Stir thoroughly. Lower the heat and cover the pot. Cooking the quinoa.

Step 3- Turn off the skillet when ingredients have been cooked. Set aside and let it cool for about 10 minutes. In a blender, or a food processor, take the ingredients from the skillet and 1/2 cup of the quinoa add it to the blender or food processor. You'll get a paste. Blender for about 1-2 minutes.

Step 4- In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining beans, veggies and quinoa. Mix this thoroughly. Then, add the mixture from the blender/food processor. The mix will be wet/pasty. This is when we slowly add the chickpea flour to get the mix to be less sticky so that it can form into patties. The amount of chickpea depends on the wetness of the mixture. Less wet will give you a stronger patty feel. 

Step 5- Using a frying pan, preferably non-stick or even a pancake grill, apply a light coat of oil. Heat the grill and take the patties and begin to cook them. Flipping when one side is brown enough, getting both sides equally brown. Alternately, you could bake the burgers for 20 minutes at 350, or until browned. 

Step 6- You can eat it on a healthy bun or simply by itself with veggies on the side. You can add hummus on top for fun.

Step 7- Enjoy!

Note: Instead of burgers, you could simply make the mixture into a veggie loaf by adding it to a loaf pan that has been lightly oiled. Cover the mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350. Use a toothpick to determine when it is ready.