Black Bean Quinoa Burger with Honey Yogurt Sauce

A burger without meat....my family scoffs at the idea. My family is a meat and potatoes kind of family, living in a very meat and potato kind of area. That of rural Pennsylvania. It sometimes seems that I'm the sole proprietor of a reduced intake of meats and processed foods and an increase in green leafy vegetables.

I am slowly getting to my family though, because I've started winning them over with dishes like this one. Quinoa burgers with black beans and corn. There is no lack of flavor here. Or a lack of heartiness. What it is lacking though is cholesterol, fat and calories. It's a win-win if you ask me. I've talked about quinoa in a previous post (quinoa salad), so I'm not going to bore you with the information again.

However, I am going to mention a documentary that has become pretty popular as of late. It's called Forks over Knives. If you don't trust the documentary go look up the science, you'll notice that there is a benefit to the diet they recommend. But, I'll save that for another time.

I found this recipe online at Prevention RD.

Anyway, I present to you.....

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers with Honey Yogurt Sauce

Burgers

½ cup dry quinoa

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 large egg

2/3 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 chipotle in adobo, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup almond flour

Yogurt Sauce

½ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Cook the quinoa in 1 cup water, as suggested on the package. Set aside for later. Saute onions and garlic in oil until tender or translucent, salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly and add to a large bowl, also add the black beans. Smash together the onions, garlic and black beans and then add the quinoa. Mix.

Stir in the tomato paste, egg, corn, add chipotle in adobo sauce. Then add the almond flour, oats and cumin. Mix and salt and pepper to taste.

You can refrigerate this mixture to allow for easy patty formation, or form the patties first and then refrigerate. The refrigeration is key. If they don't set (for about an hour) they tend to fall apart. Place patties on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mins per side at 400F. 

While the burgers are chilling or baking make the yogurt sauce. It's as easy as pie (if pie was easy). Just mix the greek yogurt, honey and mustard together and chill. This sauce is pretty great for how simple it is. I used the leftovers for chicken the next day. After the burgers are done, top them with whatever your little heart desires. I chose some spinach and tomatoes, sans bread. 

I hope you enjoy this little burger and let me know if I've convinced you to forgo meat for a day ;).