The BOY took his last final on Monday and immediately hit the city with his law school friends in celebration!  Although he asked me to join him, I had had a busy day of personal training and acupuncture (along with laundry and all of the other things that didn’t get done while I was in class Saturday and Sunday).  Since I knew that I was on my own for dinner, I was psyched for a meatless Monday.  When I got back from my appointments, I was starving and although I didn’t have a specific recipe for dinner, I had lots of fresh produce and grains that I knew I could turn into a filling dinner.  I drew inspiration from the Whole Foods sweet potato quinoa burgers when ‘creating’ this meal.

 

 

I shredded up a whole bunch of veggies and stirred them into cooked quinoa topped with dried cranberries.

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure what to do regarding spices, so I went with the basics (basil and sea salt) and added in a few of my new Spice House finds.

 

 

To hold the mixture together, I stirred in egg whites and formed 6 patties.

 

 

 

I baked them in the oven for ~ 15 minutes, flipping one time.

 

 

 

Even after 15 minutes, a few of my patties still broke apart a bit when I removed them.  I figured this was okay because it happens even with my Whole Foods burgers sometimes : )

 

 

Meanwhile, I roasted up some veggies as a side.

 

 

 

Not all of my burgers fell apart, but even the ones that did, tasted great!

 

 

 

Everything came together to make an incredibly tasty and filling dinner.  The burgers have a strong veggie flavor and the basil is the perfect compliment.

 

 

 

And the leftover burgers (although not in true burger form) were just as tasty for lunch the next day!

 

 

 

Vegetable and Quinoa Burgers

Makes 6 burgers

 

1 1/2 cups shredded veggies (I used zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms)

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 tsp sea salt

pinch of white pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp basil

2 egg whites

 

Stir together your veggies, quinoa, and spices.  Stir in 2 egg whites.  Form into 6 burgers and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, flipping once, until starting to brown on the top.

 

***This recipe is a work in progress and forgiving!  Get creative and have fun! 

PS I would definitely add in some sweet potato next time too!