Now that patio season is finally here, it’s time to kick it off with a patio favorite! If you haven’t had burgers on a patio, you haven’t lived, so let’s make that happen with these healthy Quinoa Corn Feta Burgers!
I just realized I’ve been absent from blogging for about a month! Sometimes you never really realize how quickly time flies when life gets so busy. Boy it’s been a rocky month, but I’m happy it’s finally June! Hopefully we get a good summer because we have had a rather cloudy and rainy spring. At least the flowers are happy!
A couple Fridays ago, I woke up super early, made my coffee, ate my avocado toast and turned on my computer. The first notification I received which made my whole morning was my pineapple shrimp burger recipe feature in the Huffington Post. So naturally, I was inspired to make another burger recipe that is more vegetarian friendly and also patio worthy.
My main aim for this recipe was to incorporate as much macro nutrients as I could, while maintaining that juicy texture and flavor you get from regular burgers. The quinoa provides the protein, the sprouted grain buns provide the complex carbs and whole grains which is good for you, and the corn provides antioxidants which are released when cooked. Amazing right? The feta cheese on the other hand gives these quinoa corn feta burgers a moist like texture to somewhat replicate a traditional beef or chicken burger.
I’ve made meatless burger patties a few times in the past and the one problem I always came across was how dry they turned out. Sure they were delicious when consumed by themselves, or with a slight drizzle of sriracha sauce, but when I put then in between buns, I felt my tongue screaming for moisture! So ladies and gentlemen, if you’ve had the same problem as I have, feta cheese is the answer! Come on summer, we’re ready for you! Oh and in other news, here’s a casual photo of me and Chef Michael Smith. No biggie, I totally wasn’t star struck by one of my favorite cooking idols of all time……
- 2.5 cups cooked quinoa
- ⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese + 1 tablespoon of brine (from the cheese)
- 1 cup cooked corn
- 2.5 cups cooked spinach
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Olive oil for frying
- 4 sprouted grain buns
- 2 teaspoons homemade spicy mayo
- Spring salad mix for layering
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, feta cheese, corn, spinach, eggs, cayenne pepper, sea salt, onion powder and garlic powder until incorporated. You may find your batter a bit loose which is fine.
- Place a skillet over medium high heat and grease with olive oil. Using an ice cream scoop or a ⅓ cup scoop, add the quinoa batter into the skillet and flatten. Fry both sides until golden brown edges form, about 1 minute per side. Repeat the process until your batter is finished.
- When ready, layer your burger buns with mayo, spring salad of choice, quinoa patties or any toppings of choice. Enjoy when ready.
