My friend Lisa and I did a mash-up of two greats: the veggie burger from San Francisco’s Super Duper Burgers and Columbus, Ohio’s famed Northstar Cafe burger. Adapted from Prevention RD with inspiration from the kitchn.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons brown mustard
- 1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced
- 2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon corriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup rolled oats (1/4 cup to be blended into oat flour)
Special sauce ingredients
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- Adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles, to taste (optional)
Recommended toppings (any or all)
- Hummus
- Sliced cucumber
- Bleu cheese
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Pickled jalapeños
- Avocado
- Bacon
- Lettuce
- Sliced tomato
Preparation
- Rinse quinoa and place in small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Cover pan and cook 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and leave covered. (This step can be done ahead of time.)
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic, along with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and browning.
- In a food processor or blender, process 1/4 cup rolled oats into a fine flour. Remove to a bowl and set aside with additional 1/2 cup of rolled oats.
- Add rinsed black beans to food processor. Mix in short pulses until beans are roughly chopped and somewhat pasty. Transfer beans to a mixing bowl.
- To the mixing bowl, add tomato paste, mustard, chipotle chile in adobo, corn, cilantro, paprika, cumin, coriander and thyme. Mix well with beans and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Add quinoa, oats, oat flour and egg. Stir until well mixed. Form the mixture into 6 well-compacted balls of equal size. Press each ball into a burger-sized patty with a slightly depressed center (a thinner middle will help keep the edges from cracking as the patty cooks and shrinks). Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours or overnight.
- Mix yogurt sauce in a small bowl, adding adobo sauce from the chipotle chiles as desired for spice.
- For oven cooking: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place patties on a greased baking sheet and cook 10-12 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Flip patties over and cook another 10 minutes, adding cheese to melt, if you like, in the last couple of minutes.
- For stovetop cooking: Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan and cook patties 4-6 minutes per side, until browned. Add cheese at the end, if you like, turn heat to low and cover pan until cheese is melted.
- While patties are cooking, toast hamburger buns. Spread a thick layer of hummus on bottom bun and lay sliced cucumbers on top. Place cooked veggie patty on top, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of special sauce, and cover with top bun. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 super duper veggie burgers.
Notes
- For vegan, skip the egg (make sure you compact the patties extra tight, and handle them carefully with a flat turner).
- For gluten-free, use lettuce leaves in place of a hamburger bun.
- Cilantro haters can substitute something else: parsley, grated carrot, finely diced sweet pepper or zucchini. Just make sure pieces are small enough to cook quickly, or mince up any pre-cooked veg.
- Patties may be frozen first, then stored in a ziplock bag for future use. Bake frozen patties using oven method to make sure they heat through.
Here’s a link back to the post and pictures.
