Quinoa Burgers with Creamy Avocado Sauce

I think we can all agree, that sometimes pictures speak louder than words.  That being said…

BAM! How delicious does that look?

If you’re thinking that it looks super delicious – you would be absolutely right!

I love quinoa, and am always looking for ways to use it as a meat substitute, as it is a complete protein source that doesn’t come from an animal.  In other words, if you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, quinoa is your best friend!

These burgers were very easy to make – and you know me, I’m always looking out for convenience!  I actually made these for a dinner party with the other fabulous dietetic interns, and it was great cause I made them the day before and shaped them into patties and then just popped them into the fridge until I needed to cook them up the next day.  Super easy!

You could serve these “burgers” on a traditional bun with the usual condiments – ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles, etc.  However, sometimes I like to be a little bit fancier than that and really do something different  – enter avocado sauce.

Now, if you know me well, you’re laughing right now.  Up until about a month ago I hated avocado, and now I just can’t get enough of it.  I’m a big fan of texture in my food, and I just couldn’t get past how freaking slimy it was!  However, one day I was at the greatest sushi restaurant in central PA (Akitas in Lemoyne) and I decided to be brave and order a roll that was topped with avocado.  O.M.G.  It was AMAZING.  And that’s when I had this brilliant (heavy sarcasm) revelation that I could eat avocado with other foods and the other foods could bring the texture while the avocado delivered big time on flavor and nutrients.  (Sometimes it takes me a while to realize the really obvious things in life…)  For other delectable revelations including avocado, be sure to check out my Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad, and of course the Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies 🙂

Thus, when it came time for my “fancy” intern dinner, I knew just the thing to serve with my quinoa burgers.  Here are the recipes for each:

Quinoa Burgers

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup reduced fat, shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese
About 5 or 6 baby carrots that I shredded in my little mini food processor
3 eggs
2 Tbsp flour
2 green onions, diced
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp of garlic powder
a dash of salt (optional if you’re watching your sodium)

Method:

1. Combine quinoa and 2 cups water in a large pot on the stove. Cook over high heat till boiling, then reduce to a simmer and cover.  Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, till all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is sort of fluffy.  Once it’s cooked, remove from the heat and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, and all the other ingredients.  Stir till it’s all well mixed. At this point, you can either shape them into patties and cook them, or shape them into patties and place on a cookie sheet to be refrigerated until you need them.
3.  To shape patties, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop up enough for each patty. This will make 12 patties.  Just scoop up the mixture and then plop it onto a cookie sheet and using your hands carefully smooth the edges and push it down into a patty shape.  If you’re going to cook them later, just place a sheet of cling wrap on them and pop into the fridge.

Ready to go in the fridge!

4. To cook them, spray a skillet with non-stick spray and cook over medium heat for a few minutes. When the bottom side starts to turn golden brown, flip and cook the other side for a few minutes.  Then, serve with delicious avocado sauce and enjoy (recipe below).

Avocado Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large, ripe avocado, peeled and seed removed
1/2 cup of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank’s red hot)
a dash of salt

Method:

1. Blend everything in a high speed blender or food processor.  Then, devour!  It tastes kind of like Ranch dressing actually.

What a beautiful and healthy meal!

As my avocado obsession is clearly just beginning, be prepared for more recipes featuring this slimy, green, delectable fruit.  If you have any that you want to share I’d love to hear from you in the comments section!

What’s your favorite way to eat avocado?