Saturday, May 5, 2012

Weekend Cooking: Quinoa Quartet

For this weekend cooking it is time for another bloghop! This time we focussed on quinoa. Quinoa is a grain, that isn't that commonly used in the Dutch kitchen but is a regular ingredient in imported vegetarian and vegan books. I never cooked with it but I wanted to try it for ages, that is why I suggested this theme :) When I read the cookbook Healthy in a Hurry by Karen Ansel and spotted a quinoa burger recipe there, I decided to go for it! Normally I post the review of a book and the recipe I tried together but because this post is also part of a hop, I figured it would become awfully long. So the review will follow soon, and maybe with just another recipe if I have the time ;)

Quinoa is a great grain to use if you have a gluten allergy because it is gluten free. It is also a good source of protein and loaded with minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium. This makes it a very good choice for vegetarians and vegans.


Quinoa and black bean burgers: 
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 can (470 gr) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 75 gr cooked quinoa
- 60 gr bread crumbs
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 2 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 0.5 tsp sea salt

Add garlic and onion in a food processor and mince everything. Add the black beans and blend until you have a chunky mixture. Transfer to a bowl and add quinoa, egg yolk, bread crumbs, BBQ saucem cumin and salt and fold those ingredients in until just combined. Do not over mix. Chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes so the patties are easier to form, but you can refrigerate up till one day until you continue with the next steps. Shape the mixture into 4-6 patties with slightly moist hands. Heat some oil in a pan and bake them carefully for about 5 minutes on each side. Serve the burgers on buns with extra BBQ sauce or tomato ketchup. Extra toppings like avocado, baby spinach, cucumber, lettuce and sliced tomatoes will be a great addition.

Also check out the other quinoa recipes from my fellow hoppers:
Chinoiseries made a vegan stew with quinoa, eggplant, zucchini and raisins.
Gnoe made a Quinoa-vegetable laksa.
Janny-An made a salad with quinoa, cranberries, avocado and apricot.

This post is part of Weekend Cooking. Make sure to check out the other participants :)



9 comments:

  1. Not sure but I think this may work without the egg yolk as well... Maybe I'll try it with a little flour for binding. I always love your patties - you're the Burger Queen!

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  2. Yes, egg is usually optional in veggie burgers. I have to agree with Gnoe, your burgers always look very appetising, much prettier than mine!

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  3. I think my vegan nephew would love this burger, thanks for sharing.

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  4. My vegetarian niece would love this -- perfect for summer grilling. She wouldn't have any problem using the egg.

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  5. Wow! I'm seriously going to try this! This looks great :)

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  6. I'm feeling healthier just reading this.

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  7. That looks like a really great black bean burger. Quinoa makes an interesting grain to add.

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  8. I love quinoa, and will def try this recipe soon. Thanks so much.

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  9. Wat een leuke blog! Ik heb zelf onlangs allerlei Bento spulletjes uit Japan gekregen, dat is natuurlijk het paradijs voor Bento-lovers! En het kost ook nog eens niks: vormpjes, bakjes, prikkertjes, etc. Echt leuk. Kijk ook eens op mijn blog www.geitenwollensokjes.nl. Ik schrijf over natuur- en diervriendelijk nieuws. Af en toe ook een receptje:) Toevallig ook eens over mijn Bento liefde geschreven: http://www.geitenwollensokjes.nl/post/12601936092/bento-lunchboxjes
    Groetjes, Rian

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