Mediterranean Veggie Burgers

It’s March! Fiiiinaallly. It seems like such a relief and yet, we still have a ways to go before the weather will be reliably warmer and produce other than kale and potatoes will be in season here. This time of year can feel especially like a drag when trying to eat healthy and keep meals from being repetitive, boring or dull. These thai veggie burgers have been one of my favorite go-to meatless meals for quite a while now. I decided to put a mediterranean spin on them to mix things up while still keeping it fresh and light.

I actually tried a similar experiment several months back that didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The texture wasn’t right and the flavor was lacking. Thankfully this version was much more successful. The kids loved this meal as well and Andrew declared that I “make the best burgers in the whole world!” Especially considering that we enjoy many kinds of meat and poultry-based burgers, I think that is pretty high praise!

Yield about 6-8 servings

Ingredients

For the tzatziki sauce:

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely shredded
1 cup greek yogurt
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the burgers:

½ cup uncooked quinoa
1 tbsp. olive oil, divided, plus more for pan
1 cup water or veggie broth
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas (or 1½ cup cooked chickpeas)
¾ cup old fashioned oats
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg
1 tbsp. minced fresh oregano
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
¼ cup diced red bell pepper

For the topping:

1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes, diced
2-3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper

Directions

01
To make the tzatziki, wrap the shredded cucumber in a towel and squeeze to remove as much excess water as possible. Mix together with the greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate while you prepare the burger patties and topping.
02
In a fine mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa well. Shake vigorously to remove as much water as possible. Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the drained quinoa to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the water or veggie broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand covered, 5 more minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork, and set aside to let cool.
03
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chickpeas, oats, cornmeal, salt, and garlic. Process until the mixture is finely ground and well blended. Pulse in the egg until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Fold in the cooled quinoa, oregano, parsley and red pepper, as well as the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Stir together gently until evenly mixed. Form the mixture into patties (about 6-8, depending on the size you make).
04
To make the topping, combine the cucumber, tomatoes and feta in a bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
05
To cook the burgers, add a generous drizzle of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high. Coat the bottom of the skillet with the oil. Add the patties to the pan and cook, turning once, until both sides are browned and the patties are cooked through, about 6-8 minutes total. Remove the cooked patties from the pan. Assemble the cooked patties on toasted burger buns (if desired) with the tzatziki sauce and cucumber feta mixture.

Source

burger adapted from Honey & Figs Kitchen, sauce adapted from Elly Says Opa