Bean and Quinoa Burger

This was based on an idea I saw on Pinterest, but I modified it so much that It's very much my own. I made these as my very own try at a homemade veggie burger (but as I mentioned veggie burger sounds dubious so I'll call them what they are, black bean veggie burgers). I first took a large can of kidney beans and a mini can of corn and combined them in a pot with veggie stock, salt, and bbq seasoning. I let that steep on the stove for about 20 minutes. While I was doing this I made about 2 cups of quinoa, yes this is a ton of quinoa. Then as the quinoa was cooking I drained the beans and corn. I saved the veggie stock because it seemed like such a waste. While the beans were still hot, I put them in a bowl, added a clove of shopped garlic, and mashed them with a ladle (I would have used a potato masher if I had one) (see below left). Then I added some more bbq seasoning. Next it was time to add the quinoa. I added it a little bit at a time, making sure to mix it well and adding salt, pepper, and bbq seasoning as needed. I ended up with this mushy and sticky batter like mixture (below right).

The next step was shaping them into patties. I was able to do this by taking a large handful of the mixture and shaping it and flattening it. The mixture was still rather warm so this process was easy to do and the patties retained their shape really well (below left). I did notice as the mixture started to cool it was harder to shape the patties so I had to work quickly. Next I wrapped the 6 patties that I made in parchment paper and placed them in a plastic freezer bag, and stuck them in the freezer (below right). This way I could preserve their shape, and cook one whenever I wanted.

When I have been making these in different styles all week long! I cook them in a pan, I've done it 4 different ways. And I've found that there is alot of trial and error to getting them right. I've also found that they fall apart pretty easily in the pan, soooo these might not be great to eat on an actual bun. I think I'd add an egg to the batter next time to try and help them hold their shape. Fortunately, I was not eating these on buns. These are meant to be a healthful and yummy way to eat protein, I didn't want to make them two junky. I'm now going to outline the four ways that I've eaten these patties so far:

Number 1: BBQ Avocado

• For this guy I decided to try and cook it without frying it, so no oil. This worked well at cooking the burger all the way through, but not so great at getting the outside crispy. Also it fell apart as I was taking it out of the pan.
• As for toppings I placed the burger on a bed of fresh spinach, I topped it with mashed avocado, bbq sauce, and sautéed capsicum. All of the flavors complemented each other really well an it was sweet and flavorful. 
• Of all the combos this is the one that probably goes the best with the initial flavors of the burger.

Number 2: Caprese

• I cooked this burger in the left over oil from the semi dried tomatoes that I used to prepare the bed of the dish, so It was semi fried. This got it much crispier but the inside wasn't fully cooked. Once again it fell apart a bit
• My inspiration for this burger was a caprese flavor profile. I sautéed spinach and semidried tomatoes in a pan with tuscan herbs, these smelled amazing, I've had them plan before and they totally hold their own. They're a wonderful, healthy, and easy side dish. I topped this bed with shredded mozzarella hoping it would melt and then when I transferred the burger I topped that with more mozzarella hoping it would also melt. Neither did. I think this is a dish that needs to be made with fresh mozzarella. With that I think it would be flawless. 
• The bed for this one is so amazing that I would make it again in an instant!

Number 3: Green Greek

• This one I finally gave in and tried to fry it in olive oil seasoned with tuscan spice. This did a great job getting it crispy, but it cooked the outdid so quickly that when I took it off so it didn't burn, the inside was still ice cold. Also it still fell apart.
• I called this "green greek" because I ate it on a bed of 2 green veggies, artichokes and zucchinis that I sautéed in a pan with shallots and tuscan seasoning. I then topped the whole thing with some Tzatziki sauce. 
• This was a really nice, light flavor. It was lemony, and salty, and creamy and a really yummy dish.

Number 4: Mediterranean Bowl

• This one I cooked in a really fun way. I used capsicum pesto instead of oil, just a tiny scoop on both sides. This was a perfect way to add flavor to the burger and moderate the cooking time of the patty. I also tried to use a pan top, to get the inside to cook better. This worked wonderfully (see picture at the top of the post), it was crunchy, well cooked, and amazingly flavorful. One downside… it two fell apart.
• This one I ate on a bed of sautéed zucchini, capsicum, and shallots seasoned with tuscan spices. Then I topped it with some hummus. And I put an extra dollop on top of the burger as well.
• This time I ate it in a bowl and its as amazing. It turned into more of a quinoa bowl than a burger, but the quinoa was hot and wonderfully crunchy so I loved it. 

This was a really cool thing to make. I definably would want to tweak it a bit, but it really is a wonderful alternative to a meat burger, or a creepy unknown "veggie" burger.