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QUINOA CHICKPEA BURGERS

Veggie patties are one of my all time favorite things to make in bulk. They’re a great option to make ahead and freeze for those super busy days. You can serve them to your family as burgers loaded with toppings (avocado, pickled onions, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, cheese, etc). They’re also great salad toppings and are a great way to make any lunch more filling AND more interesting! Veggie patties can also really boost the nutritional profile of any salad!

This version, in particular, is a nutritional powerhouse with quinoa, kale and chickpeas as the main ingredients. In recent years, quinoa and kale have risen as stars in the health & nutrition world due to their particularly robust nutritional profiles. Quinoa is considered one of the best complete protein sources, providing all 20 amino acids. For the average female, only one cup of quinoa represents over 17% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for protein. Quinoa is also considered a great source for antioxidants, specifically flavonoids, that have been shown to lower the risk of many of the chronic diseases prevalent in our society. Similarly, kale has a particularly high concentration of antioxidants. It’s also considered anti-inflammatory with considerable amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids and can be seen as a natural detoxifier. Also notable, kale is super high in Vitamin K, A and C as well as fiber. Chickpeas is another high fiber, high protein plant food making this veggie burger a great addition to anyone’s freezer!

Quinoa Chickpea Burgers

 

Quinoa Chickpea Burgers
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Quinoa Chickpea Burgers

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil divided
  • 1 clove garlic coarsely chopped
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 5 leaves kale stemmed and chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds
  • 3/4 tsp sea salt
  • fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15-oz can
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 Tbsp fresh dill chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fresh oregano chopped, or 1 tsp dried

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp avocado oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add kale and continue to cook for another few minutes.

  3. In a food processor, put pumpkin seeds, sea salt and ground pepper. Process until ground into a fine texture.

  4. Add quinoa, chickpeas, Dijon mustard, lemon, paprika. Process until you teach your desired texture. You still want it to be slightly chunky! Stir in onion-kale mixture, dill and oregano.

  5. Form 6 large patties. Alternatively, you can make these into appetizers by making each patty with 1/4 cup of batter. Put patties on lined baking sheet. Drizzle 1 Tbsp avocado on top of patties and bake for 25 minutes, rotating tray halfway through cooking time.

Recipe Notes

To get 1 cup of cooked quinoa, rinse 1/3 cup quinoa well in a fine mesh strainer. In a small pot, put the quinoa and 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes.

 

 

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