Dining with the Doc: Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers

This article from The Foodie Physician blog looked so good I had to add it to our archive!

Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Makes 6 burgersPatties

½ cup quinoa

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
2 cans black beans (15.5 oz each), rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large egg
2/3 cup cooked corn (canned or fresh)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced chipotles in adobo
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup rolled oats, ground into crumbs

Yogurt Sauce:

½ cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon minced chipotles in adobo + ½ teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

6 multigrain hamburger rolls, lightly toasted

Lettuce, avocado slices, and tomatoes for toppings (optional)

Place the quinoa in a small saucepan along with 1 cup of water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and cover the pan. Cook 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Remove from heat.

Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Season them with a pinch of salt and sauté until onions are softened, 5-6 minutes. Place the mixture into a large bowl. Add approximately 1½ cans of black beans to the bowl and using a potato masher or fork, mash all of the ingredients together until a pasty mixture forms.

Stir in the remaining beans along with the tomato paste, egg, corn, cilantro, chipotles, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir in the cooked quinoa and ground oats until evenly distributed.

Form the mixture into 6 equal patties, compacting them well with your hands as you form them. Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours or overnight.

To make the yogurt sauce, stir the yogurt, chipotles, adobo sauce, honey and mustard together in a small bowl.

When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place the patties on the sheet. Cook 10-12 minutes until the patties are golden brown and crispy, then carefully flip the over and cook another 10 minutes. Serve patties on the buns with the yogurt sauce and toppings of your choice.

One serving (1 patty plus yogurt sauce): Calories 281; Fat 3.7g (Sat 0.7g); Protein 16g; Carb 47.3g; Fiber 12.6g
* Because of the wide variety of buns and toppings, the nutritional info above only includes the patties and yogurt sauce. I used Arnold Select multi-grain Kaiser rolls, which have 150 calories, 1.5g fat, 0 sat. fat, 6g protein, 27g carbs and 3g fiber per roll.