One of my favorite ways to use up veggies, grains and any other food from the week’s shopping is to grind it all up and bake veggie burgers.  This was such a morning and I needed a new food idea for my 23 month old, who seems to be bored with food these days.  They turned out yummy, were super easy to make, packed with protein & veggies and even my 15 month old neighbor devoured two of them, as you can see in the pic!

You can be creative and substitute or add in veggies/grains of your choice.  For example celery, mushrooms, corn, arugula and even rice would all taste yummy in these burgers.  I like to use quinoa because it is gluten-free, high protein and easy to digest but you can try different grains.

You can also try different varieties of beans.  I used garbanzos because that is what I had but I have made them with black beans and lentils before and they turned out just as yummy.  The great thing about garbanzos is that they are extremely mild in taste and add creaminess to the batter.

Kids love to eat these burgers plain in their hand but they can be added to a sandwich, crumbled up and stir fried with veggies for tacos, or cut in half and placed in pita bread with veggies and tahini sauce which tastes like a falafel.  Be creative!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (try soaking the quinoa first for at least 4 hours if possible)
• 1 ½ cups cooked/canned garbanzo beans
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ½ red bell pepper chopped
• 2 raw carrots, chopped
• ¼ -1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• ½ brown onion, chopped
• ½ cup Sunflower dip, optional (adds a creamy tangy flavor) – you can always add 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 raw cloves of garlic and extra nutritional yeast instead
• 1/8 tsp curry powder blend
• Dashes of fennel, garlic and onion powder
• ¼-1/2  tsp Celtic Sea Salt (start with ¼ 1^st and then you can add more if needed after grinding & tasting)
• 4 green or kalamata olives, optional (tried it and loved the zest they added!)
• 3 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

1. Cook the quinoa while preparing the veggies – takes about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to about 350 degrees.
3. In a bowl mix all of the chopped veggies, oats, garbanzos and quinoa as soon as it is done cooking.
4. In a food processor grind ½ of the batter at a time until pureed.
5. I like to use my ice cream scooper to scoop and shape the burgers.  Take a scoop of the batter (about 1/3-1/2 cup) and place onto a baking sheet greased with coconut or grapeseed oil.
6. Pat the batter down to the size of burger you want, keeping them about (they don’t spread out much while baking)1/4 inch thick.
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes, depending on your oven.  When you flip them the bottom should be golden brown.
8. Bake on the other side for another 15 minutes, possibly more.  Should be golden brown on both sides and soft in the center to touch but not mushy.  Let them cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before eating.
9. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  They can also be frozen and reheated.

Related posts:

1. Pumpkin Seed Pesto meets Miso Coconut!
2. Cilantro Veggie Tuna Salad!
3. Gluten-Free Butternut Quinoa
4. Flourless Pumpkin Bread Pudding…YUM!!
5. Raw Chia Flax Chips