A Burger With As Much Protein As Meat But With No Cholesterol or Saturated Fat and Loads of Fiber and Other Nutrients

image via whatscookinggoodlooking

I had some leftover quinoa casserole and I always have black beans on hand, so I went looking for a recipe for a veggie burger incorporating those two elements and stumbled upon a fabulous new blog of a natural foods chef. Her recipe looks amazing and best of all it looks easy! Here it is direct from her site, whatscookinggoodlooking.com:

Prep Time / Cook Time
20 minutes / 25 minutes for the beans & quinoa to cook + 10 minutes to cook the patties

Makes
5-6 burgers

Ingredients

For the black bean and quinoa burgers:

2 cups of cooked quinoa
2 cups of black beans (Canned is fine as long as it is organic, no sodium. If you're using dried, rinse your beans and soak them overnight and drain when ready to use.)
1.5 cups of organic low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper
olive oil
*toasted whole grain buns or bread for serving

For the smoky avocado spread:

1 ripe avocado
1 plum tomato, seeds removed and diced.
1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (optional)
salt & pepper

Directions

• While you are cooking your quinoa, combine the black beans, turmeric, cumin, and broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low, cover partially, and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Drain the beans.
• In a large bowl combine the beans, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. When the ingredients are well combined (mashed), add in the quinoa and combine. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Form the mixture into patties. Depending on how big or small you make them, you should get around 5-7 patties. Transfer the patties to a plate, cover and refrigerate while you are preparing your avocado spread or until you are ready to use (they will keep for about 3-4 days).
• For the avocado spread: In a bowl, mash the avocado until it is smooth. Add in the tomato, smoked paprika, red pepper (if using), season with salt and pepper and combine.
• In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the cakes (maybe 3-4 at a time depending on the size of your pan) turning over once it has browned (about 5-7 minutes per side).
• Serve immediately on a toasted bun, or bread with the avocado spread.

I will be serving the burgers with the avocado spread, sweet potato french fries, and roasted brussel sprouts.

You wouldn't believe how good this house smells right now! I love spoiling my family with healthy and delicious plant-strong food.

To change the subject...while watching Nate Berkus today (total guilty pleasure-LOVE that show) they did a makeover for two sisters who were receiving an award for creating a healthy eating gift pack for their mom's friend who was going through cancer treatment. They had a red-carpet event to go to as their product was up for best new product of the year, or some such. They mentioned that their mom's friend would be "smiling down from above." Guess she didn't make it. So sad... I couldn't help but think and wonder if the healthy eating package included plant-strong, non-meat and dairy products with lots of fresh, organic produce as well as tons of vitamins and minerals. And then I thought, if the medical establishment at large fails to acknowledge the power of nutrition to heal then what chance do us laypeople have?

To me, it is criminal that the information that could save people's lives is often not given to them by the very people that are supposed to care the most: their doctors. Didn't Hppocrates himself say, "Let food be thy medicine?" It is time for a change of the status quo!