Quinoa Veggie Burger with Avocado Lime Spread

Quinoa Veggie Burger w/Avocado Lime Spread:

Burgers:
makes about 5

1/2 cup organic dry quinoa
1/2 organic sweet onion, chopped
3 organic garlic cloves, minced
1 tbso olive oil
15 oz organic no salt added black beans
1/2 large organic sweet potato
2 tbsp organic tomato paste
1/2 organic rolled oats
2/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup water
optional to taste:
chopped organic jalapeño
chili pepper

Avocado Lime Spread:

2 organic avocados
1 organic garlic clove, minced
1 organic jalapeño, chopped
juice from 2 organic limes
1/8 tsp cumin (optional)

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake sweet potato (with skin on) for about 30 minutes, or until soft. Once potato is baked, cut in 1/2, remove skin from one half and mash thoroughly. I like to use the extra potato as this fun side dish:

While sweet potato is baking, cook quinoa according to directions and chop onion, mince garlic, drain and rinse black beans, and thaw corn. Sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until softened then remove from stove and let cool.

Once items are prepared, add all of the ingredients including the mashed sweet potato (with the exception of the water) to a large mixing bowl. Combine the ingredients gently by hand eventually forming 5 patties.

If needed, add some water to the mixture to increase moisture. If you have time, place burgers in the refrigerator for several hours covered with plastic wrap before baking. This will help them keep form while you eat them.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees, place patties on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Gently flip and cook the second side for another 10 minutes.

While the burgers are baking it is easy to prepare the Avocado Lime Spread:

Once complete, place the burgers in an organic bun with your favorite veggie condiments or over a bed of greens, top with avocado spread, and enjoy!

Easy Pepper & Lime Salsa!

Peper & Lime Salsa:

1/2 organic red pepper

1/2 organic yellow pepper

1/2 organic orange pepper

1/2 organic red onion, minced

Juice from 1 organic lime

Chopped fresh cilantro to taste

Dice peppers and combine with lime juice, onion, and cilantro. Let sit for 10 minutes or more, stirring occasionally, then enjoy!

This salsa goes great with these Veggies Burgers:

                  

These Tofu Dishes:

                  

And these Wontons:

    

                 

BBQ Veggie Burger with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

BBQ Veggie Burger:

Makes 5 Burgers:

1 cup uncooked organic short grain brown rice

3/4 cup no salt added organic black beans

1 tbsp organic oat bran

1/2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped white mushroom

3-4 tbsp organic carrots shredded or minced 

1 organic yellow onion chopped, or minced depending on your preference

1 organic jalapeño chopped, or minced

1 organic garlic clove finely chopped

6-8 tbsp of your favorite organic BBQ sauce

Optional additions (about 1/4 cup or less each): peppers, yellow or blackened corn, diced tomatoes

Roasted sweet potatoes and your favorite green or salad (I love freshly steamed green beans with this recipe) are great side dishes to complement this burger. For the roasted sweet potatoes, you'll want to make sure you have 1 large potato for every 2 people you will be serving.

First preheat oven to 350 degrees then cook rice according to directions on package. While rice is cooking, peel and cube sweet potato, place in a glass pan, and toss in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil making sure all potatoes have a coating on them then place pan in oven for 20 min. When 20 minutes is up, remove and flip the potatoes, adding only slightly more oil if potatoes are dry, and place back in the over for an additional 20 minutes or until soft or crispy, whichever you prefer. Remove potatoes when finished, cover, and set aside.

While rice and potatoes are cooking, prepare onion, garlic, jalapeño, and if adding corn and pepper them as well. Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté vegetables until soft but not brown, then set aside in separate bowl to cool. 

Next, prepare remaining vegetables and ingredients and set aside while rice finishes cooking. Once rice is cooked, set it aside in a large mixing bowl to cool. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Once rice is cooled, add all ingredients to mixing bowl and mix together with your hands so that all ingredients are distributed evenly. I like to wear cooking gloves or use sandwich baggies to cover my hands to help prevent sticking. First add just 6 tbsp of bbq sauce to mixture and taste before adding more. 

Divide into 5 patties and place onto a nonstick cookie pan and cook for 8-12 minutes.

Enjoy on your favorite organic bun and top with lettuce, tomato, and your favorite healthy condiments. Freshly made mango salsa is an amazing addition to this veggie burger!

Nutrition Info per veggie burger:

237.4 calories, 3.5g fat, 0.2g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 282mg sodium, 45g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 9.4g sugar, 10g protein

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Southwest Veggie Burgers!

Southwest Veggie Burgers:

1 cup no salt added organic black beans
1 cup cooked organic brown rice (I like short grain for this recipe)
1 - 1 1/4 cup mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup diced organic tomato
3 tblsp nutritional yeast
1 tblsp chili powder
1/3 tsp cumin (more if desired)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

First, set the rice to cook following the recipe on the package but without adding oil, butter, or salt. I use 365 organic short grain brown rice and cook with just water and it works perfectly. Once the rice is cooking, begin to boil the water to cook the sweet potato. Peel and cube the sweet potato and once the water is boiling, add potato, reduce heat to medium and cook until softened.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

While rice and potato cook, drain and rinse beans, and place them onto a paper towel and gently pat dry and set aside. Dice the tomato, shred the carrot, and add to a large mixing bowl along with the beans, spices, and nutritional yeast.

Once the potato is cooked, strain and mash thoroughly. Keep potato separate while the rice finishes cooking so that it will cool. Once the rice is finished, allow to cool slightly and add to mixture along with sweet potato.

Once all ingredients are in the mixing bowl, gently mix them so that they are spread evenly throughout and then begin to form tight patties. If the mixture is warm, allow to sit until it cools or briefly place it in the refrigerator. The cooler it is, the more tightly the patties will form.

This mixture makes 4 large patties, or 6-8 smaller sliders. Place each patty on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and cook on each side for 15-20 min, or until top is a light brown.

Serve on an organic whole wheat bun with your favorite burger toppings. For this recipe, I love to top with with guacamole, some sliced tomato, and lettuce. Goes great with a small mixed greens salad!

Healthy Life Tip: Save the extra patties or double the recipe for an easy meal at a later date by freezing patties once they have been cooked and cooled off!

Nutrition Info per patty when made into 4 patties:

225 cal, 2.1g fat, 0.06g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 72mg sodium, 46g carbohydrates, 9.3g fiber, 6.8g sugar, 9.7g protein.

For an added 16g protein, add 2 tablespoons of this Cookable Protein Powder.