foodie fridays

i love cooking & baking. it is, absolutely, one of my favourite things to do. (i am running a baking business out of my home, so i must like it!) we enjoy trying new recipes often and re-playing the ones that have been the best. if you look on my pinterest profile, you will learn that food is the main reason i use it. what can i say? we love food. a lot.

we try to eat as healthy as possible, and lately that has meant cutting down on our meat consumption. we are "weekday vegetarians" or "flexitarians" and that was brought on when we watched this ted talk. (it's only four minutes long, so go watch it!) we've found that not eating meat during the week (though we are not super strict about it) has made us feel better, save money and be more creative with our meals. protein is important, but eating meat is definitely not the only way to get it. in fact, there are healthier and way cheaper ways to get it. we eat a lot of beans, lentils, quinoa & other whole grains, nuts & nut butters and some delicious veggie burgers that i always keep stocked up in the freezer. (recipe here, if you're interested. and you should be! we love them.)

anyways, i'm rambling. for the sake of documenting the new recipes we try and sharing them with those who are interested, i'm starting my new post of "foodie fridays!" i promise to share only the yummiest things i've made in the week previous. no duds! vegetarian, meat, side dish, salad or baking, you'll find it here on fridays. (every friday, i hope.)

this week the recipe is "greek style quinoa burgers." packed full of protein with quinoa & white beans and topped with a greek yogurt sauce, this is an easy, quick summer-time meal.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
• 1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced
• 15 ounces great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Coarse salt
• Ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 pitas (each 6 inches)
• 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; add quiona, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.
   
2. In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
   
3. Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick paties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
   
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, and the remaining scallions; season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce.
   
   

my notes: i read the comments at the bottom of the post and decided to add a bit of dried oregano to the "burgers". i might cut out a tiny bit of cumin next time, as it can be a little overpowering. also, great northern beans are just a white bean. i used white navy beans but i'm sure whatever you have would work. i also subbed out the bread crumbs and put in ground flax seed instead. i cooked the burgers in smaller patties instead of the four the recipe suggests, which was good because they were a little crumbly. i added cilantro to the greek yogurt sauce and didn't put all the green onions in. we put feta cheese into the prepared pitas because who doesn't love a little cheese? i ate leftovers the next day with spinach instead of cucumbers; just as good! the burgers taste a lot like falafel to me. delicious! leave any questions in the comments below!