Dinners of Solitude #2: Quinoa Burgers

Last night was a beautiful exception!  I had dinner with a friend! YAY!  Kelley came over with some homemade milkyway ice cream and I fixed up some more grilled veggies, roasted corn but added quinoa burgers! Which after last night has become my new favorite alt burger!

See my Dinners of Solitude post for directions on the grilled veggies and roasted corn.

As for the Quinoa Burgers I took many beautiful pictures with my camera to find out I did not have my memory card in it so I am attaching pictures from the source I adapted the recipe from!

Quinoa Burgers

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

To cook quinoa:

In a medium saucepan bring the 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat.  Add quinoa and reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and the seeds are tender.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.

3/4 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I did halfsies with pepper jack and colby jack)

1/2 cup cottage cheese (fat free)

1 medium carrot, finely grated (I used a micro plan grater)

3 eggs (fresh from the chickens out back)

2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour

Breadcrumbs to thicken as needed

2 green onions, including white parts

1 /2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Olive oil for frying (I’m thinking next time I’ll bake them to see how they turn out but the frying is TO DIE FOR)

In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrot, eggs, flour, green onions, sugar, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat.  Measure 1/4 cup and form into patties about 1/2 inch thick  – mixture will be slightly sticky.  Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.   Makes approx. 10 burgers.

I topped the burgers with a yogurt dressing:

3 Large spoonfuls of plain yogurt (greek if you have it, I did not)

1 small spoon of sour cream

To Taste:

garlic powder

dill weed (I used the most of this)

salt

pepper

Mix it all up, taste test, add what you think it needs, repeat until perfection.

Quinoa burgers were topped with yogurt dressing, sliced avocado, red onion, and heirloom tomato slices!  SOOOOOOOOOOOO good!  Thanks EatWellLivingThin for the great idea!  Thanks Kelley for breaking me out of solitude!