[I can’t believe it’s a] veggie burger!

So I wasn’t going to post this recipe. There were a few reasons. One, I very hastily took a picture of it on my way to my third burger [which was a mistake- my mind said yes and my stomach said no]. Also, it was not too long ago that I believed veggie burgers should be left to the hippies [and now I’m spreading veggie burger love!? Really?]. Finally, I’d almost given up on veggie burgers. They take a long time. They’re hard to make. They fall apart and misbehave. Bad, bad veggie burgers.

But, then I made these burgers. Wowzers. I mean, really. Party in the U.S.A.

So, I’ll share. And maybe you, too, can replace your go-to veggie burger recipe. Or give them a try if you’re a veggie burger newb.

Quinoa Veggie Burgers
adapted from allrecipes
Makes 9 burgers

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried black beans, cooked [about 2 cans]
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup feta cheese*
1/2 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Add the quinoa and salt to water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Rinse your sweet potato, pierce it with a fork and use that amazing ‘baked potato’ button on your microwave [or go it the old-fashioned way and cook it in the oven, giving yourself a little more time for prep].

While the quinoa is going get your black beans ready [either by cooking them in your pressure cooker or draining and rinsing the canned beans]. Mash the black beans as much as you’d like and set aside. Dice up the pepper, onion, and garlic to about the same size and add to food processor. I processed the mix until it blended together and was chunky, but before it was pulverized [technical term]. Add the green pepper mix to the black beans. To that add the cheese, sweet potato, and seasonings. Mix well.

When the quinoa is finished cooking let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and add it to the burger mix. Mix everything well and shape into 9 burgers.

Place the burgers on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. Baking them will help to keep them from crumbling.

*Since feta is made with a salt brine I didn’t add extra salt to the burger. If you replace the feta with another cheese you may need to add salt.

We had our burgers with these homemade buns from Taste of Home. Ener-g Egg Replacer works great in this recipe to keep them vegan. We added spinach and ketchup. So delicious!