Today’s recipe is totally different than what I was originally going to post but I just couldn’t let the 4th of July holiday pass without sharing this burger recipe with ya’ll! Let me just tell you I have tried and tried several veggie burger recipes. Most of the time I am very disappointed. I always get my hopes up that this will be that “special” burger that I have been waiting for. Well, today’s burger wins the prize for being my “Special” burger!
As you may know, I have been reading Dreena Burton’s new cookbook, Plant-Powered Families. I have been having so much fun trying several of her recipes. Normally, when I get a new cookbook I may find 1 or 2 favorites but so far I am 3 for 3 with Plant-Powered Families. Not only am I loving her recipes, my hubby is also REALLY a fan! Every recipe I have tried so far, is very satisfying and won’t leave you hungry. We both loved the consistency of this burger and hubby also commented on the meaty flavor versus other veggie burgers. Another interesting tidbit, hubby doesn’t like leftovers- AT ALL! However, he actually asked to have these burgers two nights in a row! We had a few leftover burgers and he wanted them AGAIN – that is very odd for this man. I never imagined there would be a day that my former meat-loving husband would ask for a veggie burger two nights in a row. Miracles do happen!
Back to why this burger is “Special!” This burger has such a unique flavor combination. I was originally drawn to this recipe because of the sun-dried tomatoes, almonds and rosemary. I LOVE all of these flavors, especially rosemary, so I knew I had to give this burger a try. I am SO glad I did! I also love that quinoa is used versus regular breadcrumbs. Quinoa is a grain but it does offer protein and a ton of multiple health benefits that you can read about here.
So, if you are like me and having a tough time finding that “special” veggie burger you MUST give this one a try!
Sundried Tomato Almond Burger
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary or 1½ teaspoons fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 small-medium clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tamari or coconut aminos
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes soft tomatoes are best
- 1½ cups cooked quinoa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor, add the almonds, tomato paste, rosemary, sea salt, garlic, vinegar and tamari. Puree until very finely ground. You will want a sticky texture.
- Add the green onions and sun-dried tomatoes and pulse through until the mixture becomes dense and starts to hold together. Add the quinoa and process/pulse through again until well incorporated.
- Refrigerate for ½ hour.
- After chilling, take out scoops of the mixture and form burgers in your hands. I used a generous ice cream scoop and then formed the patties with my hands.
- Place patties on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. (I added the baking step because we like our burgers to be more done inside. You can always skip this step and go directly to cooking the patties on the stovetop.)
- Remove patties from oven and then place on a non-stick skillet over medium-heat. Cook each side for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve with fixings of your choice. I went with avocado (yum!), while hubby went with jalapeno peppers!
