Black Bean Quinoa Burger with a Homemade Gluten Free Bun and Parsnip Fries

Believe it or not this entire dish is gluten free and beyond delicious!!!!  Dave and I grilled out and although my burger wouldn’t hold together well enough for a grill, he ended up eating 1 of his meat burgers and 2 of my veggie burgers!  I got the burger and fries recipe from one of my new favorite blogs – Love and Lemons. (Basically I find ones that I like then regurgitate them to you guys if they are amazeballs.) I saw the link to the gluten free bun on a fellow healthy foodie’s Facebook page, and this is what happened…  🙂  The recipes are all below for each part of the dish.  FYI – on the burger – I didn’t have flax so I used more flour and an egg white.  I think  you CAN grill them, but you need to bake them for at least 10 minutes before putting them on the grill, otherwise you’re going to have a mess.  I think the flax may hold it together better, but either way it was a pretty awesome burger!!

BURGER

Ingredients

• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• dried spices – 2 teaspoons each of cumin & coriander, pinch of cayenne
• 1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire (or soy sauce or tamari)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (or ketchup)
• 1 tablespoon grated beet (optional – for color)
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 cup black beans, cooked & drained (you will use 1/2 cup at a time)
• 1 “flax egg” (1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water)
• 3/4 cup cooked red quinoa (you’ll use 1/2 cup, then 1/4 cup separately)
• salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 with a metal baking sheet inside.
2. In a small bowl, stir flax & water together and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the shallot, garlic, a few good pinches of salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add the dried spices, stir, and cook for 30 seconds more.
4. Add the worcestershire, balsamic, tomato paste, grated beet, walnuts and THE FIRST 1/2 CUP black beans. Stir and cook for another few minutes and turn heat off.
5. Let cool slightly, then add the contents from the pan to the food processor. Add the flax egg and blend until everything is cohesive. It does not need to be perfectly smooth).
6. Transfer mix to a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of black beans (smash them a little as you stir), and 1/2 CUP of the quinoa. (You can taste & adjust seasonings at this point if you want to because there is no egg). Stir until this is all very cohesive then divide into 4 segments and roll into balls.
7. Place the 4 balls on a plate and sprinkle them with the remaining 1/4 cup quinoa. Gently roll them so the quinoa coats the outside of the balls, then press each in the palm of your hand to form patties. Place on parchment paper (on a plate) and chill for 20 minutes.
8. Transfer the parchment w/ your patties onto the pre-heated baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil on top and bake for about 15 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until the outside is not mushy.
9. Let cool and serve with fixings of your choice and spiced ketchup and chipotle mayonnaise.

PARSNIP FRIES

Ingredients

• parsnips
• olive oil
• salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375.
2. Scrub your parsnips clean and lightly peel them (you don’t have to peel them if yours are really clean). Slice into thin strips.
3. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and a few good pinches of salt.
4. Bake until golden brown, flipping halfway. (15-25 minutes depending on the size of your cuts)
5. Remove from oven and serve immediately, they’re best hot.

GLUTEN FREE BUN

Ingredients – FYI – if you want a thicker bun – double the recipe!

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon coconut Flour
• 1 tablespoon Almond Flour
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil

Blend together, let settle to thicken. Spilt mixture into two and spoon onto oiled parchment and bake 10 mins at 350 degrees.