Black Bean Quinoa Burgers and Chocolate Raspberry Almond Smoothie for Meatless Monday

I got so excited when I saw this black bean burger recipe from Vegetarian Times land in my inbox, I just had to try it! It’s not often that I make veggie burgers but since I had all ingredients on hand, I couldn’t resist. They turned out delicious…and best part is, I made a second dish with them the following day! One recipe, two dishes! Can’t go wrong with that! Hope you enjoy!

Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers
I topped these burgers with hummus, dijon mustard, red onion and kale. It was the perfect combo!

Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa
1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped (¼ cup)
1½ cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 tsp. dried steak seasoning, or any seasoning you prefer
8 gluten free hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Stir together quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in small saucepan, and season with sea salt, if desired. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. (You should have 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa.)

2. Meanwhile, place onion and sun-dried tomatoes in medium nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat. (The oil left on the tomatoes should be enough to sauté the onion.) Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion has softened. Stir in 3/4 cup black beans, garlic, steak seasoning, and 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer 10 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

3. Transfer bean-onion mixture to food processor, add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl, and stir in remaining 3/4 cup quinoa and remaining 3/4 cup black beans. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and cool.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F, and generously coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Shape bean mixture into 8 patties (1/2 cup each), and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until patties are crisp on top. Flip patties with spatula, and bake 10 minutes more, or until both sides are crisp and brown. Serve on buns.

Black Bean & Quinoa Bowl
I decided to mix these burgers with some leftover quinoa and kale for a delicious lunch the following day! It was delicious. In a large non stick pan, I sautéed 2 cups chopped kale, with 1 black bean burger, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, and 1 tbsp pesto.
Chocolate Raspberry Almond Smoothie

I was craving something chocolatey and so I decided to blend together some raw cacao with raspberries, almond butter and other goodness for this delicious treat! Feel free to add fresh strawberries as well!

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp maca powder
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp organic ground vanilla
3-4 ice cubes

@holisticwellnessfoodie