Anyone else out there addicted to Veggie Grill? Well, our family definitely is and one of my recent favorites was a veggie burger from their summer menu–the Grilled Quinoa+Veg Burger, which I’m happy to report made it over to their permanent menu. I like to think the frequency in which I ordered the dish had something to do with it 😉
I decided I needed to recreate the burger in my kitchen so I could enjoy it without having to leave my house. Getting out can be quite difficult these days! I am quite satisfied with what I came up with. To make things a bit more interesting I decided to go for the slider version– helps me cut down portion size and they are more friendly for tiny hands.
Don’t be fooled by the long list of ingredients below, these are actually super simple to make and the yield is great because they are very versatile. I used them without the bun (which makes them gluten free) and you can easily make these gluten free by choosing a gluten free bread or hamburger bun. They can also be tailored for the taste buds in your house… some kids (or adults) may enjoy different toppings, so pick ones that you know your little ones enjoy on their veggie burgers!
Start by making the base for your sliders with these ingredients.
Cook your quinoa first, and work on prepping the rest of your ingredients while it’s cooking. Once all ingredients are cooked (more in-depth instructions below) add them all into the Ninja or Food Processor and pulse for about 45-60 seconds. Form into sliders and cook on skillet for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Assemble toppings & devour!
I served these with a little organic ketchup and polenta fries, which my daughter ate right up!
Slider Base
- • Mini (slider) Hamburger Buns
- • 1½ cup quinoa- cooked
- • 1 cup cremini mushrooms- diced
- • ¾ cup garbanzo beans- cooked
- • ½ cup white onion- diced
- • 1 cup kale- chopped
- • 1 Tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- • coconut oil- as needed for sautéing
- • 2 Tablespoons all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Trader Joe's brand)
- • 2½ Tablespoons XVOO
- • 1 teaspoon baking powder
- • 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
garnish
- • Grilled red onion* see cooking instructions below
- • Fresh arugula
- • Vegenaise- (I use soy-free version)
- • Dijon Mustard
- • Avocado
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions
- While quinoa is cooking do the following:
- Place coconut oil in sauté pan -- add onion and garlic
- Cook on medium heat uncovered for approximately 3 minutes
- Add garbanzo beans, mushrooms, chopped kale and Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- Cook for another 8-10 minutes
- Take all the ingredients from sauté pan + cooked quinoa, XVOO ,lemon juice, baking powder and and gluten-free flower- PULSE (do not purify) in blender or food processor for 35-45 seconds. You don't want to over blend, but want a gooey/blended consistency
- Heat cast-iron skillet or other pan on medium/high heat, and lightly grease with coconut oil
- Form blended mixture (approx ¼ cup scoops) into sliders and place them into hot skillet
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip and repeat - total cook time 10-12 minutes
- Assemble burgers by adding vegenaise, arugula, and grilled red onion on bun. See notes for instructions on cooking red onion.
- Serve with polenta fries.
Slice red onion into large slices/chunks.
Heat skillet to medium high heat with coconut oil
Cook in skillet until they soften all the way through and become translucent.
Turn off heat, add 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar, mix and cover for 5 minutes.
*Option to use a slice of cheese for topping, the Veggie Grill burger I mention uses Creamy Choa Cheese slices and it is quite delicious.
My inspiration for this recipe came from Veggie Grill and uses pickled red onion. While I didn't have time to pickle in this particular case, my solution was to use a little apple cider vinegar and it came out really well!
These patties are great without the bun. You can add them into anything - salads, with quinoa or rice, etc.
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