Quinoa Burgers

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is one of those food things that's hip right now. It's a delicious, nutty grain that cooks up easily like rice. I like swapping it out it for rice and you can make a mean porridge with it. I saw this burger recipe on Eating Well...Living Thin and knew I wanted to try them. They sounded easy and delicious.  So here goes...

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat. Stir in the 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. You can also use 2 cups cooked, leftover quinoa.

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, finely grated
3 eggs
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 green onions, including white parts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Splenda or sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
olive oil for frying

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and stir until combined.

Heat a couple teaspoons of oil over medium-low heat. Measure 1/4 cup and form into patties about 1/2" thick. Mixture will be slightly sticky. Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes each side. Makes approximately 10 burgers. (I got 13.)

I made a few tweaks. I didn't add sugar. I don't really get why it's in there. I also used one clove of grated garlic instead of garlic powder. My mixture was very wet so I added an extra tablespoon of flour. It was still pretty wet, but cooked up nicely. I would probably use only 2 eggs in the future. You could probably eliminate one or both of the cheeses and they'd still be good. I'd keep that extra egg if you do though.

The bottom line is that these are super delicious. They're a great all-year-round food. Not that I have them, but kids would probably eat these too. I served them (to myself) with brussels sprouts roasted with curry powder and it was a lovely 9 pm dinner. Give them a try.