I enjoy eating vegetarian for lunch most weekdays, but find that just a green salad leaves me starving and then I tend to binge snack later in the day. What these green salads are missing is some source of protein. Protein equals satiety. Quinoa and garbanzo beans are both vegetarian sources of protein that are also high quality + low glycemic load carbohydrates. The more fiber and protein and the less processed a carbohydrate is, the higher quality and lower glycemic load it is. A low glycemic load carbohydrate won’t cause your blood sugar or insulin levels to spike (it is the spike in blood sugar and insulin levels that cause your body to store food as fat instead of using it for energy). So in a nut shell, high quality carbohydrates, such as quinoa and garbanzo beans, wont cause a spike in your blood sugar or insulin levels and won’t be stored in your body as fat, but will fuel you with energy.
Ok, enough nutrition and science. Here is my take on True Foods Kitchen’s inside out quinoa burger (one of my all time favorite things). I make a batch of these and enjoy them as inside out burgers (as pictured) or over a green salad as an added protein source.
I usually bake the burgers, but you can also grill them!
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups cooked rainbow quinoa
- 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 ½ tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
- Cavander’s Greek seasoning or salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Cook the quinoa according to directions on package – it will be more flavorful if you cook using vegetable broth
- In a food processer combine 2 cups quinoa, garbanzo beans, flour, coconut aminos, tahini, egg, cilantro, cumin, garlic powder and paprika
- Process until well combined
o You are basically making a “hummus” – you can be creative at this stage. Feel free to add, substitute or delete any of the seasonings or herbs I used. Other ideas – parsley, jalapenos, roasted red peppers, Indian seasonings, etc. – the sky is the limit!
- Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in 1 – 1 ½ cup remaining quinoa. You want this mixture to be about the consistency of ground meat if you were making a “traditional meat” burger
- Season the mixture with Cavander’s or salt and pepper
- Form mixture into patties. You should have enough to make 6 – 8 patties
- Place patties on a baking sheet lined with non stick foil
- Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once half way through
- Garnish with tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, avocado and Tzatziki sauce
