After a long relaxing weekend (special related shout out below), I wanted to start my Monday off right, so I challenged myself to make a dish that I had once failed at preparing properly: white bean burgers. The first time around, I was convinced that I could make these without any kind of starchy binding, and that an egg would be enough to hold the ingredients together- but alas, as the nicely formed patties broke apart in my pan, I knew I had to give this another go. Enter one of my favorite ingredients for cookie making, quinoa flakes.

I had found a few recipes that called for rolled oats to form bean burgers, so I thought quinoa flakes would be a perfect substitute – and they in fact worked perfectly! I added some shallots, chili powder and garlic pepper into the mix for a little added flavor, but I knew that I needed a good sauce to make this burger special. Since I tend to put Greek Yogurt on just about everything these days, it was my first instinct for a fresh topping, so I mixed some up with some chopped scallions for a bit more flavor. I placed the burger and yogurt sauce on a toasted Ezekiel English Muffin with some sliced tomato and some sprouts, squeezed a little lemon juice on top of it all and took a bite. To my surprise, this total impromptu experiment in mixing ingredients tasted delicious. This doesn’t require a lot of time or effort either. Here’s how I made these tasty and healthy burgers…

Makes 4 burgers
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans (drain and discard liquid)
1 medium shallot chopped
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 egg
2 cups quinoa flakes
1 tsp grapeseed oil
1 small container Greek yogurt (6 oz.)
3-4 scallions chopped (white parts only)
1 tsp. chili powder or other seasonings to taste
Salt and pepper to taste (I used garlic pepper)
Ezekiel English Muffins (or bun of your choice)
Tomato slices and sprouts or other toppings of your choice – a little lemon juice squeezed over the burger adds a nice refreshing flavor

In a small pan, heat shallots and 1/2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until shallots are translucent and soft. Remove from heat when done. In a food processor combine cannellini beans, shallots, egg and 1 cup of quinoa flakes (I wet the quinoa flakes with a little water first). Pulse until combined but don’t puree. Transfer into a bowl and mix in the rest of the dry quinoa flakes and grapeseed oil. Add seasonings, salt and pepper to taste. Place mixture in refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to make sure it is nice and firm before forming burgers (I placed in freezer for 5 minutes and it worked just fine).

Remove from refrigerator/freezer and form burgers to desired size (they won’t shrink or expand). Add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to a medium pan and cook burgers on high heat – about 5 minutes on each side. While they are cooking, combine Greek yogurt and chopped scallions in a small bowl. When burgers are done, serve on bun of your choice and top with Greek yogurt and scallion mixture and any toppings you enjoy. Great with tomatoes and sprouts and a little lemon juice squeezed over the burger.

I have to finish this post with a big congratulations to my best friend who got married this weekend! The wedding was a dancing packed, happy tear filled blast. The bride was gorgeous, the groom was dapper, and the cake was delicious! It was a wonderful weekend and I couldn’t be happier for my best friend and her sweet as pie husband. My favorite detail was the Tupelo Honey jars on each table which was a play off of their first dance to the Van Morisson song of the same name.