Vegan Quinoa Veggie Bean Burger, No egg, No meat! Seedtastic! Yes Please!

We have transitioned to eating meatless dairy free veggie bean burgers. We love them! Summertime is in full swing, and it's time we enjoy my "Seedlicious" Quinoa Veggie Bean Burgers for a healthier alternative to the charred meat patty we grew up eating this time of year. These really are fantastic tasting, and they do not have the cancer causing barbecue bits on them either! I loaded them up with all manner of super food nutrition and zippy spices, although If you need to add the hot stuff go right ahead, that is not our thing. These quinoa veggie bean burgers would be considered vegan and vegetarian, and so would be perfect for transitional meatless Monday... or any day of the week! The family will love them.

Just like the burgers of your youth, you can freeze what you do not use, to save for those days when you don't feel like preparing dinner. Yes I have those days... A lot. Although today I want to make some veggie burgers right now. Please note most of my ingredients are organic. Do the best you can, and try to make sure the corn (especially so important that it's non-GMO), veggies, and beans are organic. So let's get to it! Cause' these healthy veggie burgers are good any time of the year!

Seedtastic! Quinoa Veggie Bean Burger

1 small can kidney or black beans

2 shredded carrots

1 small minced onion

1 medium green sweet pepper

1 -2 garlic cloves minced

1/4 cup organic corn

1 TB rice vinegar

1 TB coconut aminos 

1 TB garbanzo bean miso
spring water

SEEDS N' NUTS

1 cup of cooked quinoa

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup almonds

2 TBS sunflower seeds

2 TBS pumpkin seeds

2 TBS ground sesame seeds

2 TB ground flax powder

2 Tb hemp seeds

2 TB chia gelled

1 TB mustard

1 TB ketchup

1 TB nutritional yeast

1 TB dulse flakes

SPICE

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp curry

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

First soak a half cup of walnuts in one cup of water, for thirty minutes, let this sit while you prepare the other burger ingredients. Then drain off the water.  

Be sure to rinse 1/2 cup of quinoa in a mesh strainer before cooking, to remove the sapolines. Cook the rinsed quinoa seeds in covered saucepan in 1 cup of spring water. Bring water to a boil then simmer quinoa approximately 10 -15 minutes until tender, water is absorbed, and the little ringlets appear. I used the light quinoa which is usually the cheapest. I have not tasted any difference in flavor between quinoa colors. The rainbow quinoa mixes just look prettier, and that's cool.

If you have decided to cook up extra quinoa while doing this recipe, or you have any leftover quinoa after making these burgers, you can either make this wonderful sweet hearty breakfast quinoa, or this savory cold quinoa veggie salad! (You can learn more about cooking quinoa here. Quinoa is a 2:1 ratio just like rice. It may create more quinoa than you think! That's a good thing, as you can do much with versatile leftover quinoa!)

While quinoa is cooking, rinse your canned beans in strainer. Shred carrots by hand, or use food processor. Mince onion, garlic, and green pepper. Grind sesame seeds. Place 2 TB chia in small dish and cover with water to create gel.

Set aside 1/4 cup shredded carrot, 1/4 cup minced onion, 1/4 cup minced green peppers, and 1/4 cup frozen organic corn, into large mixing bowl. Place the rest of the shredded carrot, minced onions, minced garlic, minced green peppers, and beans, into a pan to saute with a bit of spring water, rice vinegar, coconut aminos, and miso. Cook down 5-8 minutes, adding water when needed so not to stick. Set aside mixture to cool. You can see I was out of the green peppers this time, and I also opted for the kidney beans. As with many of these vegan dishes you can change up many ingredients, and be creative.

In food processor place flax, walnuts, almonds, 1/2 cup quinoa, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, mustard, ketchup, nutritional yeast, dulse flakes, chia gel, and spices. Pulse these items together to mix into a rough grainy consistency, without making it into a powder. Now add the cooled bean, sauteed carrot, onion, garlic, pepper, mixture. Pulse into a rough looking meaty mixture. See below.

It certainly does look meaty. I think the kidney beans and carrots are causing the color effect, then the nuts and quinoa give it the meat-like texture. (That's a close up of quinoa in the saucepan below.) 

Add the meaty food processor mixture into the large bowl that you set aside earlier with the carrot, corn, minced pepper, and onions. Add in the other 1/2 cup of quinoa to the large bowl too. Hand mix everything together. These reserved veggies add more texture, color, and flavor to the burgers. Cover the bowl and sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up. Since it is not really meat you actually can stick your finger in and taste it! Should be yummy even at this stage!

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, and place a few drops of cooking oil in your hands to rub over the surface of parchment paper. Form patties from the cooled mixture in large bowl. Handle lightly and quickly. You can see by the photo below that I am not about perfect circles. So crazy that it looks like old fashioned meat patties.

Place patties on oiled parchment cookie sheet, and cook 15 minutes on each side till brown. Finish them by cooking 400 degrees for 10 minutes to brown up more. Oven temps vary so you be the judge if your patties need to cook more. When perfectly done these veggie bean burgers are light and moist inside.  

Serve your quinoa veggie bean burger open face on lettuce, upon a roll, or between two slices of a hearty bread. Then add your garnish of sprouts, lettuce, tomato and ketchup. I used Wegmans organic bakery bread called 'Marathon" which is filled with seeds too. I was not kidding about the "seedtastic-ness!" 

I think a side of awesome homemade organic potato salad would be perfect. A darn delish dish! 

Freeze veggie burger extras between parchment paper in freezer bags, or reserve a few of the burgers in a glass container in the refrigerator for the next day's lunch or dinner. You can reheat the burgers in toaster oven. Oh boy! Do I love great leftovers! Enjoy this taste of summer! Be happy! Be healthy! Be peace!

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