Chicken Thai Quinoa Burgers
Let's be honest, if you saw this on the menu, a smile would creep across your face, yes?
Allow me to really entertain you. This burger that you will make again and again uses Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips that will give you the authentic flavor AND texture of the real deal. Pairing this up with quinoa and you have met your protein quota for the day. The creamy coconut and bite of the chili are the Thai flavors you were hoping for and by adding extra binders such as the chia seed, potato and the oats, this burger will not soften, crumble or fall apart on you.
Ingredients
Setup
- 1 TBS chia seeds
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 C green onion, slivered
- 1 TBS fresh ginger root, grated
- 1 C quinoa, rinsed
- 2 C vegetable broth
- 1 (12 oz) package of thawed Beyond Meat Lightly Seasoned Chicken Strips,
- 1/4 C shredded carrots
- 1/4 C frozen edamame, thawed and shelled
- 1/2-3/4 C whole rolled oats, pulsed in a dry blender a few times
- 2 TBS sweet chili sauce
- 2 TBS rice vinegar
- 3 TBS light coconut milk
- 1 TBS brown sugar
- 1 1/2 TBS peanut butter (almond, cashew, sunflower all fine to substitute)
- juice of 1 lime
- 3/4 - 1 C cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
Directions
Mix the chia seeds and 3 TBS water in a small bowl and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes until gelatinous. This will be your egg substitute.
Cook the sweet potato and scoop out the insides. Set aside to cool.
In a large sauce pan, add 2TBS of water and begin to saute the garlic, green onions and ginger. Cook for about 2-3 minutes over a high heat, stirring often. Don't let the ingredients burn.
Add in the quinoa and the broth. Stir and bring it to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium, cover and allow to cook for 15-17 minutes, stirring half way through.
In a food processor, add in the Beyond Meat, carrots and edamame. Pulse 6-7 times until the "chicken" is starting to shred and the carrots and edamame are sliced. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Place the oats in a blender and pulse a few times until they have broken down a bit. Set aside.
In the blender, add the chile sauce, rice vinegar, coconut milk, sugar, peanut butter and lime. Blend until well mixed.
When the quinoa is ready, transfer that to the "chicken" bowl along with the sweet potato and the chia seed egg and mix well with your hands. Add in the oats and the chili sauce and continue to mix. Fold in the cilantro if using. Place in refrigerator for at least an hour.
Heat oven to 375. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and patty up the burgers to about 2 1/2" diameter and 1/2" thick. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once at the halfway point.
Prep time: 1 1/2 hr (includes chilling time)
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total: 2 hrs
Makes 6 burgers
NOTE:
For a condiment to use with the burgers, I whisked 3 TBS chili sauce, 1 TBS rice vinegar and 2 tsp tamari.
