Quinoa Burgers

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, because it is SO good. Maybe it is just something "different" and I'm in the mood for new foods right now. I found a photo of these burgers on Pinterest and clicked on the link which took me to Eating Well, Living Thin's blog. Not a real food blog, but most recipes can be turned back into real food. I ditched her suggestion for low-fat cottage cheese for whole milk cottage cheese and got rid of the sugar in the recipe completely. It was only 1/2 tsp and I don't use Splenda anymore. I can't believe how much of that stuff I used to consume. I read the other day that they were trying to invent a new type of rodent poison when they discovered Splenda. Yum. Blah! But I digress... these burgers were delicious, especially fried in lard rendered from a humanly raised pig.
-Amanda

Quinoa Burgers

2 heaping cups of cooked quinoa*
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, finely grated
1 clove garlic grated
3 eggs
4 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
pinch of salt
oil that is stable for frying, such as lard, peanut or coconut oil.

In a large bowl (I started out too small and had to go up a size which is always annoying!) combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrots, eggs, flour, cumin, salt & pepper and grated garlic.

Heat frying pan with about 1/4 cup of oil and dollup out the batter. It's pretty mushy. Let fry for about 5 minutes per side before flipping. Remove when golden brown. Homemade tzatziki sauce was a great topping!

*Basic Quinoa

1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

Melt butter in a pot. Add quinoa and stir toasting it a bit. Add water, bring to a boil, stir really well, cover, lower to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

**Not to self, something crunchy would be good in the batter. Perhaps finely diced cucumber or celery??

Quinoa

I tried quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) for the (second) time tonight. The first time was a disaster, I completely over cooked it and it was horrid. Tonight, I vote it was great, John did not like it and the girls ate about half of their serving. For those who have never heard of quinoa, it is a very healthy "grain." It's more like a seed and is actually related to beets and spinach. Which is why it is go good for you. It's very high in fiber and protein. For more information on it, read this wiki page.

I cooked 1 cup of quinoa in a smidge more than 1 cup of water for 10 minutes in the microwave. I was in a hurry tonight and had heard of this method. I'd like to try toasting it and cooking it on the stove top to develop more flavor, but this turned out really great. I then added a pat of butter and a few tablespoons of homemade vinaigrette. (3 tbps of olive oil & red wine vinegar, tsp of honey mustard, grated garlic clove, salt and pepper whisked well) Last I stirred in some sauted mushrooms (I like to add veggies wherever I can in a meal!)

I served the quinoa with a grilled steak and fresh greenbeans.
-Amanda