Quinoa and Tofu Patties—Meatless Burgers

You’ll be very happy with the texture and satiating flavors of these meatless quinoa and tofu patties. Meat eaters, vegans and gluten-frees—all of us can share. These veggie burgers hold together too, which is not true with every homemade meatless burger. You can flip these over and they won’t fall apart in the pan.

Have you noticed how sugar makes it way into the ingredient list of most items on our grocery store shelves? Last weekend I saw a film telling the story about hidden sugar in our food. Praise the Lord for the eloquent educators of food choice, the forward-thinking authors, spokespersons, and filmmakers urging us to pay attention to the foods we eat.

Fed Up is a documentary movie–a must see for anyone who…eats food. It’s an exposé uncovering why we are an obese population. The producer’s goal is to “change the way we eat, forever.” Though I’m part of the ‘choir’, the congregation that believes in responsible food choices, I’m more comfortable singing to myself, quietly, at the back of the room. I’m afraid of being preachy, and truth be known, I don’t feel articulate enough to belt it out.

Home cooking is the best way I know to spread the message. So I cook and bake and write vegetarian recipes. I like to think I contribute to change with my knife and fork. And by reading labels–if there is sugar in the ingredients, I won’t buy it.

We can all make a difference, one bite at a time. Make these delicious quinoa and tofu patties, and share a meatless Monday with someone you love.

Serve the patties topped with your favorite sauce. Try savory peanut sauce, or this avocado sauce–both are full of flavor and marry well with the patties. For quick and easy, use a marinara sauce. (Be sure to read the label looking for hidden sugar.) I sauced the ones in the photo with walnut tahini sauce—recipe coming up soon right here in lettyskitchen.

Quinoa and Tofu Patties—Meatless Burgers recipe notes:

• The quinoa can be tri-color, blond, red or black. I used tri-color. I like to have the quinoa already made, but it only takes 20 -25 minutes to cook quinoa and it’s fine to mix in hot. You can press the tofu and prepare the rest of the ingredients while the quinoa cooks.
• There are many veggie patty recipes out there that bind the ingredients together with breadcrumbs. Ground rice crackers keep these patties gluten-free.
• Nori is the green wrap around rice in sushi rolls and adds subtle sweet umami taste as well as tiny flecks of color.
• I use a #16 ice cream scoop to portion, and a cookie cutter to form the patties.
• I tried baking my quinoa and tofu patties in the oven. They just didn’t get brown and crispy on the outside. Out of the oven and into the skillet they went. I use a non-stick skillet so I didn’t need to add extra oil to the pan.

I am grateful to Frances Moore Lappé, who helped me change the way I eat via her pioneering book, Diet for a Small Planet.
What are you grateful for today?

Wishing you a fabulous week–get in the kitchen and cook something delicious!

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Quinoa and Tofu Patties—Meatless Burgers

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 1 pound firm or extra firm tofu
• 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro (see note)
• 3 eggs , lightly beaten
• 1 sheet nori , optional (see note)
• 1 cup crushed gluten-free rice crackers (see note)
• ½ teaspoon Real Salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Olive oil , as needed

Instructions

• Press the tofu to remove as much water as you can: Cut the tofu crosswise into 3 or 4 smaller blocks, all about the same thickness.
• Line a large shallow dish with a clean tea towel, one without any terrycloth nubs. Place the tofu rectangles on the towel and fold the towel over the tofu. Place a second dish on top of the wrapped tofu. Add weight—something nearby that’s heavy–I use my blender. (Make sure the top dish is able to fit inside the dish that holds the tofu—you want to press the tofu, not the bottom pan.)
• Weight (pun intended) 10 minutes. The tea towels should be quite wet from excess water.
• Mix the quinoa, onion, garlic, and parsley in a bowl. Add the pressed tofu, breaking it apart with your fingers as you it mix it in. Work the mixture well, so there are no large chunks of tofu.
• Toast the nori to make it crisp: Pass it back and forth above an open flame, (e.g. stovetop), for 10 to 15 seconds.
• Grind the rice crackers and toasted nori in a food processor until the crackers become crumbs.
• With a fork, stir the eggs and the cracker crumbs into the quinoa and tofu. Season with salt and cayenne. Continue mixing with the fork, mashing the tofu until everything is well-blended. Set aside for 10 minutes to let the crackers absorb extra moisture.
• Portion mixture, ¼ cup per patty, and shape into 12 rounds 2 ½ to 2 ¾ inches round.
• Brush the tops of the patties with olive oil. Heat a large skillet on medium flame. Gently invert the patties into the skillet, oil side down. Cook about 10 minutes, until the bottoms of the patties are golden. Brush the tops with olive oil, turn the patties over and cook until the second side is golden and crispy.
• Serve hot, with a sauce of your choice.

Notes

• The quinoa can be tri-color, blond, red or black. I used tri-color. I like to have the quinoa already made, but it only takes 20 -25 minutes to cook quinoa and it’s fine to mix in hot. You can press the tofu and prepare the rest of the ingredients while the quinoa cooks.
• Any chopped fresh herb will be fine—basil, rosemary etc.
• Nori is the green wrap around rice in sushi rolls and adds subtle sweet umami taste as well as tiny flecks of color.
• There are many veggie patty recipes out there that bind the ingredients together with breadcrumbs. Ground rice crackers keep these patties gluten-free.
• I used a #16 ice cream scoop to portion, and a cookie cutter to form the patties.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @lettyskitchen or tag #lettyskitchen