Ultimate Crispy Quinoa Veggie Burgers

Recently my siblings and I were passing online messages about my father. At one point, my older brother Mike said, "Dad's cooking broke down into two categories: it either tasted good, or it was healthy, but generally not both. Or more that his thinking was, if it's healthy, there's no reason to be concerned with it tasting good or not."

This was the 1970s and "health food" was not what is today. Besides my father's tendency towards "more is more" ("Dad, raw oats in the hamburger? Really?"), his Sunday specialty was, no lie, seaweed-soybean waffles. Good God, that was dreadful. [Ed. note: That sounds worse than disco in bell-bottoms.]

Truth told, he was ahead of his time, very disciplined about exercise and nutrition. During WWII, as a teenage Austrian refugee in Shanghai, he took up boxing and sparred with US Marines stationed there. Growing up with my siblings, we never witnessed him missing a workout, no matter the weather or how late he came home from work. He'd jog a couple miles, hit the punching bag, skip rope double-time while running in place, do countless push-ups. Something. Every single day.

We ate 14-grain bread (which tasted like brick and mortar back then), when all I craved was that soft, white Wonder bread that was popular at the time. Now, this is not to say that we didn't have delicious food and sweets at home, just not on Sundays.

​Dad passed away on September 23, 1979. Forty years gone. If he could only see us now. See, Dad, we were listening! I'd like to think that he would have loved these veggie burgers.

These days, the BF and I eat healthy, but it has to taste good. [Ed. note: Oh hecks no, inject those soybean-seaweed waffles directly into my veins. :-/ ] And we both love a healthy veggie burger. Am not trying to make this taste like a beef burger, it's not a beef burger, but I will say that I've made hundreds of variations of veggie burgers and the BF and I absolutely adore this one from the talented women at Pollan Family Table.

PS: A year ago I lamented the scourge of jury dury and the terror of a broken refrigerator, survived both, and made Mom's apple cake (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/moms-apple-cake).

Adapted from: Pollan Family Table
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup organic canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions
• 1 serrano pepper (optional, I added it)
• ½ cup peeled and finely chopped carrots
• ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs (Panko used here)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg 
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 multigrain hamburger buns
• 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced (optional)
• Your favorite burger toppings for serving (tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onion, etc.)

Directions

1. Combine the quinoa and vegetable broth in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and let cool slightly.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the beans with a potato masher, making sure to leave a few chunks. Add the scallions, carrots, breadcrumbs, garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper. Mix well. Add the cooked quinoa and the egg and combine all. Using your hands, form the mixture into four individual patties and place on a platter. Put in fridge for 10 minutes.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Reduce heat to medium, place the patties in the pan, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
4. Assemble the burgers and buns on a platter with your favorite toppings (I went heavy on avocado).

Dad's boxing gloves, 2019.