I like quinoa! I don’t love it, though. I find it to be really bland and kind of boring unless it’s well-incorporated with other flavors. That being said, I looooove these quinoa burgers I made last night for dinner! I find that whenever I make quinoa, I have tons leftover so this recipe works well for that. The chickpeas add fiber and more protein and the texture is really nice. They are also baked so there is no added fat to this recipe. Yes!
The star of last night’s dinner was the peach salsa I made as a condiment. I’m a salsa-making newbie, I really have no skills despite living in California for the past 20+ years. It was so easy though and I fully intend to make more salsas in the future with different seasonal fruits.
First, I made the burgers by mixing the quinoa, chickpeas, onion, garlic, sunflower seeds, flax meal and spices in my food processor:
I could tell right away that the texture was going to make an awesome burger. I formed two patties (this recipe will make four burgers total) and baked them at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, flipping once. The picture below is how they looked before baking. Once they were cooked, they were golden and even a little toasty on top.
Here’s the recipe:
Baked Quinoa Burgers – Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon flax meal
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon each cumin and turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and whirl until combined. Form four patties and bake for 40 minutes total, flipping once during cooking. Enjoy with Peach Salsa or your favorite condiment.
The peach salsa was the easiest thing ever, I combined two chopped peaches (from the “visually distressed” bin at the farmers’ market!), two jalapeños (no seeds for me), one onion, one large tomato, a bunch of cilantro and the juice of 3 limes:
I think the flavors will taste even better when I have leftovers tonight for dinner.
Here’s the recipe:
Homemade Peach Salsa – Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 large ripe peaches (or nectarines)
1 large tomato
1 small onion
2 jalapeño peppers
1 small bunch of cilantro, no stems
juice of 3 limes
Directions:
Chop and combine all ingredients. Refrigerate leftovers. Enjoy!
Big thanks to Angela from Oh She Glows for featuring my Cashew Cream Orange Salad Dressing recipe on her Vegan Recipe Link Love post today. Yay! I am having a great day so far and I am getting a massage this afternoon, I can’t wait. Yesterday I finished my Anatomy & Physiology summer course (hard!) and I’m at the tail end of my master’s degree practicum. It has been a BUSY summer. This fall it looks like I’ll be taking Nutritional Epidemiology for my master’s degree and my last science class for my RD coursework: Microbiology. The fun never stops, ha ha!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Those quinoa burgers look amazing! I’m loving that they look really pretty and like they hold together well. Crumbly burgers can still taste nice but it’s more satisfying to have one that actually holds together.
I just found your website and can’t wait to try some of your recipes! The Chocolate Oat Energy Bars are calling my name and calling it loudly.
Thanks Ayla, they did stick together really nicely. Let me know how you like the Chocolate Oat Energy Bars, I think they are delish!
Oh my gosh Carrie!!!! Chickpeas AND Quinoa?!?!?! I LOVE IT!!! You should really put together a cookbook so your recipes stop taking up all of the space on my bookmarks!!!!
I really need to make these — after I get my air conditioning back. My parents won’t allow me to use the oven until then.
You are so sweet, thanks for the compliment, it makes me feel great! Stay cool!
Yum! Love these because they are whole food without any junk. And that salsa, just perfect for Texas summer!!
yum! those burgers sound fantastic! i love anything with quinoa + chickpeas
Hi Carrie. These burgers are just what I was looking for. Quick question: do you think the left over burgers can be frozen?
Hi Charron! Yes, absolutely you could freeze these burgers for later use. They might not hold together as well, though. Are you thinking of baking them cooked or uncooked? My rule of thumb for freezing food items in terms of maintaining quality is to make sure that nothing has been frozen before. So, if you’re cooking the quinoa from scratch and the other ingredients are fresh, then they should freeze well. Let me know how it works for you!
Hi,
I really appreciated your recipes. My husband and I are trying to detox but some of the recipes are a little boring so we found your blog. I appreciate this one as I am going to make it tonight.
Thanks
Marie
{ 1 trackback }