trimming the fat by cutting the meat

Chickpea & beet veggie burgers - insanely delicious. Adapted from A Cozy Kitchen.

The past few weeks have been full of travel (I can't believe the fall travel season is already here!). Boston, New York, DC, Baltimore, Hershey - then back to Nashville and back to DC again. In DC, I had lunch with one of my closest friends, Jen. Jen and her husband are vegan so I am sending some recipe love for my vegan/vegetarian friends!

8 ounces beets, steamed or roasted and peeled (you can use store-bought/prepared beets - but not canned)
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, washed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, washed and drained
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup rolled oat flour (rolled oats pulsed in the food processor until fine)
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
  1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
S&P to taste

Make oat flour and set aside. Pulse beets until food processor until roughly chopped. Add drained beans, rice, oat flour, onion, garlic and spices. Salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until well chopped and combined. Using a half cup scoop, form patties and chill for about 30 minutes. When ready to cook burgers, heat a bit of EVOO in a pan and cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes. Serve on toasted whole grain bun. I topped ours with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato. 

I've blogged about quinoa a fair amount recently. A few weeks ago, I made quinoa and lentil "meat" balls. These freeze well and were delicious over whole wheat pasta with some tomato basil sauce.

1/2 cup dry quinoa, pre-rinsed
1 cup water
1 cup cooked green lentils, well drained
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup bread crumbs (add additional bread crumbs if the meatballs need to be firmer and aren't holding together well)

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat parsley leaves

 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Few shakes cayenne pepper

1 egg (for vegan add 2-3 teaspoons water)

3 tablespoons EVOO

S&P to taste

Add pre-rinsed quinoa and water to a medium pot, cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking 15 minutes or until water is completely absorbed. In a large non-stick skillet add some EVOO, heat to medium-low and sauté diced onions and bell pepper until tender about 4 minutes, add garlic, parsley and oregano and sauté one additional minute.

Remove quinoa from heat and allow to rest 10 minutes. Press down on quinoa with a paper towel to remove any remaining water. In a large mixing bowl combine sautéed onion, garlic, parsley and oregano along with remaining ingredients, except oil. Use either a potato masher or fork and mash the ingredients until the lentils are well mashed. Using your hands, shape into 1 ½ inch (meatless) meatballs.

Add a bit more oil to a large non-stick skillet, heat to medium-low and add quinoa (meatless) meatballs. Brown meatballs, turn over and brown on the other side. Cook until browned and heated through, about 16 minutes. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Serve with whole grain pasta and your favorite sauce on top.