Ali Cooks: Quinoa 'Burger'

I messed up.  Well, technically I messed up only if you're expecting me to follow the recipe exactly.  Because dude, these quinoa burgers are delicious.  I'm pretty sure I'll be eating them for weeks though.

See, the recipe called for two cups of quinoa...so I cooked two cups of quinoa.  Sounds logical, right?  Nope.  The recipe WANTED two cups of COOKED quinoa.  Whoops.

Ah well.  I did what I did and thought the results were still delicious!  I challenge y'all to make it the 'right' way though because these were VERY moist and VERY hard to flip/stay together.  Contributing to this may be my impatience and use of medium-low heat versus a higher temp to sear the patties better.

DON'T expect something meaty and burger-like.  In fact, I wouldn't even suggest putting these on a bun at all.  Eat them on a plate with a fork and knife.  Or crumble a patty over a yummy salad.  (Or...wow, you could totally just skip the patty idea altogether and just make a fried rice kinda deal.  YUM.)

So yeah, I share my creations whether they turn out as intended or not!  Food is food is food!  (As long as it's edible and delicious!)

Quinoa 'Burger'

*adapted from EatingWellLivingThin.wordpress.com

Ingredients:

2 cups quinoa

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other variety, if you prefer)

1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek works best)

1 medium carrot, finely grated

3 eggs

3 Tbs all purpose flour

3-4 green onions

1/2 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt

1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

oil for frying

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan bring 4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat.  Add the quinoa and reduce the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes or until all water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.  Allow to cool for a few minutes while you prep the other ingredients.

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

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons of oil over medium-low heat. Mixture will be slightly sticky,

so drop the mixture into the pan and lightly flatten to about a 1/2 inch thick.   Fry until golden-brown, about 4 minutes on each side.