Quinoa Burgers
A nice morning banding, with 13 birds captured, including a Cedar waxwing. It was, however, our farthest site, which required setting my alarm for 1:45 a.m. Our neighbours, a group of fishermen, hadn’t even gone to bed by the time we were driving out of here! Surprisingly I didn’t feel too tired when we came home, so I was able to enjoy another beautiful sunny afternoon by the lakeshore, and cook a summery supper.
1 cup coarsely grated white or cremini mushrooms (approximately 7 or 8)
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini
3/4 cup coarsely grated carrot
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp cornstarch
pinch chili powder
4 portobello mushrooms, optional
Rinse quinoa, then add with water to a small saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer 15 minutes. Remove lid and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan. Sauté mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer quinoa and vegetables to a large bowl. Stir in egg, cornstarch, and spices.
Clean frying pan, then heat more oil. Firmly press quinoa mixture into 1/2-cup measuring cup. Turn and release into pan. Gently press to shape into a patty. Repeat, cooking 2 patties at a time. Cook until browned and warmed through, about 4 min per side.
If desired, brush portobellos with oil and grill on medium for five minutes per side. Place each quinoa patty on top of a portobello. Top with desired toppings.
These veggie burgers were fantastic– and they are both gluten- and dairy-free. They are too fragile to grill, but were great served on a grilled portobello “bun.” To make further use of the grill I also made these grilled sweet potatoes, plus I served my strawberry-spinach salad.
For a good grillable homemade veggie burger, try my black bean burgers.
What kind of burgers do you like?
YUM!! I love using the portobellas as buns.
I wanted to tell you I tried the grilled carrots. I didn’t make it into a “carrot dog”; just chopped them and grilled with other veggies in my grill pan with oil. They were just meh and still really crunchy. I think I needed to cook them longer, but I don’t know. If you don’t have a grill pan, you should get one. It’s like stir frying on the grill, which is 100% better than stir frying on the oven.
I make a really similar quinoa burger recipe too, and I throw in lentils and some cumin as well. But I’ve never heard of portobello buns – such a brilliant idea! I tried it tonight and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing!
I thought about cumin– I use it in my black bean burgers. Lentils sound like a good idea, too. I am glad that you tried and liked the portobello idea!
I like meat burgers!