Mediterranean Quinoa Burgers

These burgers are colossal.  Colossal taste, colossal complexity, colossal size. And when you add the toppings and cradle them between a chewy, moist, gluten-free bun, you’ve got yourself a colossal feast. And if you notice, all it takes is a mashed yam to hold it all together. Nothing else. I suggest using red quinoa only because the color imparts a burger-like hue. This might be extra important if you serve these to card-carrying meat eaters. But once they sink their teeth in, the palette will take a back seat to the robust flavor for their discerning palates.

Mediterranean Quinoa Burgers

By Debbie Adler

Makes 6 burgers

Burgers

½ cup uncooked, red quinoa (no worries if you use yellow)

½ cup peeled, boiled, and mashed yam

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), soaked in water for 20 minutes

¼ cup pitted, black kalamata olives

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Thousand Island Dressing

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 20 minutes and then drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red bell pepper
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup water

Toppings

Sauteed onions

Dill pickles

Romaine lettuce

More sliced olives

Must Do

1)Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 15 x 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

2)To make the burgers; Toast the quinoa in a small pot and over medium heat for 1 minute. Add one cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and let simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

3)Add the cooked quinoa and mashed yam to a food processor and pulse to combine.

4)Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and place in the food processor.

5)Add the kalamata olives, tomato paste and liquid smoke and pulse to combine until everything comes together but still has texture.

6)Divide the mixture evenly into four patties and place them onto the prepared baking sheet.

7)Bake the burgers until they are firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Flip them carefully with a spatula halfway through baking.

8)Serve with suggested toppings.

9) To make the dressing; Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth

Note: I find that an easy way to flip the burgers is to place each on it’s own piece of torn parchment paper and then lift the burger with the parchment paper and flip it over onto another piece of parchment and then remove the top piece of parchment paper.

Serving size: 1 burger CALORIES 150; TOTAL FAT 3.9g; PROTEIN 1.7g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0g; SODIUM 200mg; FIBER 1.7g; SUGARS 1.0g; TOTAL CARBOHYDRATE 9.6g