Cheesy Spinach Quinoa Patties

For me, warmer weather screams burgers and barbecue. Before I became a vegetarian, cheeseburgers were one of my fave foods and I must admit that the aroma of barbecuing burgers still makes me drool. Now that I no longer eat meat, I am constantly searching out new "burger" and "patty" recipes to try to fill my 'cheeseburger void'.

I found a recipe using quinoa recently and I tweaked it a little to make it my own by adding two of my all-time fave ingredients: Spinach & Cheddar  Mmmmmm.....

Now I personally wouldn't serve these on buns (they're pretty carb heavy on their own), but they are perfect-o with a side of roasted veggies or a great big green salad. I've made a couple of batches now and I love topping them with dijon (big surprise right?!) or tzatziki. Another bonus is that they're a great source of protein! 

Cheesy Spinach Quinoa Patties
Inspired by the Peachy Palate
Makes 4 patties

1/2 c quinoa
1 c water
1 c baby spinach, thinly sliced
2 green onions, diced
2 eggs
1/3 c bread crumbs
1 c shredded cheddar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cajun seasoning

Cook your quinoa according to the package directions. Once the quinoa is done, remove from heat and mix in the spinach and green onions. Set mixture aside until cool enough to handle.

Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, add in the remaining ingredients.

Mix well and then form into 4 patties. Press together as much as you can.

Pre-heat a skillet to medium heat. Spray it with non-stick spray and then add your patties. Cook your patties for 6 to 7 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and serve.

Add your greens to the warm quinoa.

To cool the quinoa, throw it in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook your patties for 6 - 7 minutes and don't flip any earlier because they WILL fall apart!

YUM

Tastes awesome with tzatziki :) ....

...or with honey mustard parsnip fries on the side....

...I even topped a salad with a leftover patty that I crumbled...

FILLING & DELISH!!!

What foodie aroma makes you drool?

Do you have any good  veggie burger recipes you'd like to share - link it up in your comment below!

Have a great day my friends,

Andrea
xoxo

Veggie Burger & Sweet Potato Fries

We all have some nights when we are either too busy, too tired or just don't feel like spending alot of time in the kitchen after a long day at work. I had one of those nights recently, so I decided to splurge and treat myself to my favourite ready- made veggie burger. Let me introduce you to the President's Choice Thick & Juicy Portbello Swiss Vegetarian Burger.

Ohhhh Yeahhhh....

I think these burgers are only available to us Canadians, but man are they good! They aren't as low fat & low calorie as I typically like, but once in a while a girl has got to go crazy and let loose...so what if you have to undo the button on your pants after dinner....we'll make it up with a good workout tomorrow right ;-)??

These burgers are great on the barbecue, but since our barbie is covered in 3 feet of snow, I decided to throw it under the broiler - it still tasted great!

When I have a good veggie burger, I don't like to overpower it with all sorts of toppings. I am not very exciting when it comes to topping a burger: I like carmelized onions (doesn't everyone??)...I actually put an entire onion on my burger ... I just couldn't help myself :-) I also like a little mayonaise (you can use your favourite vegan version if you'd like)  and a handful of baby spinach.

Doesn't this burger look amazing ~ I know my mouth's watering  :-)

As a side, I whipped up some baked sweet potato fries. These are so easy to make!

Sweet Potato Fries

serves 1

1 sweet potato

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted (or oil of your choice)

1 tsp of sea salt

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick spray.

Chop your sweet potato up into wedges or fries - I was watching Hawaii 5-0 while I did this, so mine are cut a little funky, but they still tasted great.



Add the oil and salt and mix thoroughly.

Place fries onto cookie sheet. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes making sure to flip the fries halfway through. You may find that they take a little longer depending on your oven and how crispy you like the fries to get, so keep an eye on them.

I am a lover of the salt shaker, so I do add more salt once they are cooked ~ it really depends upon your taste ~ personally I think everything tastes better with salt.

If you realy want to get crazy, you could make a larger batch of fries and mix sweet potatoes and regular potatoes - this is quite a hit at my house because it satisfies my sweet tooth and love of sweet potato fries and Derek still gets his normal, "not fancy" taters.  

Voila! An easy and delicious meal without much effort or clean up.

Wishing you all a wonderful Tuesday evening!

Andrea