Ingredients
Directions
In a food processor, add the almonds, tomato paste, rosemary, sea salt, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and tamari.
Puree until the nuts are very finely ground. Be sure to grind them fine enough so that the almonds release some oils and become a little sticky; that will help bind the burgers.
Then add the green onion 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 (if you have time, optional, see note), as it helps make it easier to shape the patties.
After chilling, take out scoops of the mixture and form burgers in your hands. I scoop generously with an ice cream scoop, roughly ⅓–½ cup for each.
To cook, heat a non-toxic, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties for 5–7 minutes on the first side, and then another 4–5 minutes on the second side until golden brown (see note for oven baking). These patties hold their shape well, but if they are flipped a lot and overcooked they become more crumbly and dry.
Serve with the fixings of your choice.
Chef's Notes
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Some varieties and brands of sun-dried tomatoes can be very tough and hard, and others quite soft. If the ones you have are soft, go ahead and add them straight — but if they are very hard, it is useful to soak them in boiling water for a few minutes to soften (be sure to fully drain and pat dry before adding to the processor).
Quinoa
I prefer the texture of white quinoa, so that’s what I keep on hand.
Prep Ahead
It’s useful to batch-cook grains, cooking more than you need at any given time and keeping the extra in the fridge. If you have another cooked grain on hand like rice or millet, you can substitute it for the quinoa.
Refrigerating/Freezing
If you don’t have time to refrigerate the mixture, simply skip it and shape the mixture to bake. A short chill-time helps the burger mix to set. You can even make these ahead of time, chilling for several hours or overnight. If you want to freeze some burgers, do not pre-cook. Instead, shape into patties and place in an airtight container, separated with slips of parchment paper. Place in the freezer for later use. To cook, let thaw at least partially before cooking.
Oven-Cooking
If you prefer to bake in the oven, place burgers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes on each side. Pan-frying will give a better texture on the outside, however burgers will still be outstandingly delicious if baked!
Serving Suggestions
These are incredible served with your favorite fixings on a whole-grain burger bun or in a whole-grain tortilla. Fixings to consider: natural organic ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced onions… and for some more uncommon fixings: a slice of avocado, a dollop of a natural BBQ sauce, sauerkraut, slices of roasted bell peppers, salsa, hummus!
Ditch the bun and serve these burgers in a lettuce or collard leaf wrap. Or, crumble them on pasta with marinara or a big salad bowl.
Storage
Leftovers can be mashed or crumbled into a sandwich filling for lunches.
Recipe from Plant-Powered Families by Dreena Burton adapted for WHOLE Life Club (WLC)
Ingredients
Directions
In a food processor, add the almonds, tomato paste, rosemary, sea salt, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and tamari.
Puree until the nuts are very finely ground. Be sure to grind them fine enough so that the almonds release some oils and become a little sticky; that will help bind the burgers.
Then add the green onion 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 (if you have time, optional, see note), as it helps make it easier to shape the patties.
After chilling, take out scoops of the mixture and form burgers in your hands. I scoop generously with an ice cream scoop, roughly ⅓–½ cup for each.
To cook, heat a non-toxic, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties for 5–7 minutes on the first side, and then another 4–5 minutes on the second side until golden brown (see note for oven baking). These patties hold their shape well, but if they are flipped a lot and overcooked they become more crumbly and dry.
Serve with the fixings of your choice.
