I wanted to make a “fancier” meal tonight. You might look at the picture below and question why I would call a
Veggie Burger “FANCY”, but if a meal takes longer than 20 minutes or so to make, it is fancy to me. This meal
takes some extra prep time but I was pleased with the results. This is the featured recipe on Martha Stewart’s
vegetarian cookbook, MEATLESS. The first time I saw the picture I knew I wanted to make it. I did make the
YOGURT dressing (usually I don’t use dairy in my recipes) but I wanted to do the recipe exactly like the book.
But I didn’t love the yogurt dressing (neither did Newbie Mommy when I shared this with her). So that is
definitely optional. Hope you enjoy!
Quinoa Veggie Burger
Ingredients
2 Portobello Mushrooms (8 ounces), stemmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small zucchini
3 TBS Olive Oil
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 ounce finely grated parmigiano-reggiano (optional)
2 cups cooked quinoa
Coarse Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 egg, lighten beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs (I used 3 pieces of bread- see details below)
Yogurt-Garlic Sauce (recipe below)
6 Whole Wheat Buns
1 cup sprouts
1/2 English cucumber, sliced thin
Directions
1. Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to bowl. Coarsely grate zucchini,
place on a paper towels, and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Add to mushrooms.
2. Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large pan over medium. Add shallot and red pepper flakes ,and cook until softened,
about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and
add cheese and quinoa; season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely, then stir in egg and bread crumbs.
Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Heat remaining 1 TBS oil in a large skillet over medium. Shape mixture into six 1-inch thick patties, pressing
firmly. Cook in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. To serve, spread yogurt sauce onto buns
and sandwich with patties, sprouts and cucumber.
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**Making Bread Crumbs
Trim off crusts from each piece of bread (preferably whole-wheat or whole-grain), and tear the bread into
large pieces. Pulse in a food processor to form coarse or fine crumbs, as desired.
Yogurt-Garlic Sauce
3/4 cup plain greek style yogurt
2 TBS chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (I used 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
1 TBS capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed and chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine yogurt, parsley, capers, and garlic in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and
refrigerate for up to one day.
Source: WFM 1-10