Thai Veggie Burgers with Peanut Sauce

I've become a bit of a connoisseur of veggie burgers.  I have certainly made my fair share of them.  I have made them out of eggplant, out of sweet potato, out of rice and beans, out of quinoa... okay obviously I have made a lot of veggie burgers over the past couple years!  I have to admit that I honestly love them all in different ways, but these... these are something special.  These are veggie burgers that my family ate happily, dousing them with peanut sauce and topping them with most colorful, beautiful cole slaw that you've ever seen.  These are the kind of veggie burger that all get eaten, that people take to work, that my mother heats up for lunch.  These babies were a big success, and now that I sit here typing about them as Alex and Rachael screw cement board onto my kitchen floor, it makes me crave them and want to make them as soon as the kitchen is back in order!

The burgers themselves are made from quinoa, oats, cornmeal, chickpeas, bell pepper and red onion.  Isn't that such a wonderfully eclectic combination off things!?  And gluten free too, I'll add.  They are flavored with salt, paprika, garlic, and sesame oil - are you drooling yet?  But wait, there's more: there's the slaw: red and green cabbage, shredded carrot, and cilantro.  That's it.  No "sauce" or anything but fresh, delicious vegetables.  The sauce comes later: it's a peanut sauce made from peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, fresh ginger, lime juice, and red pepper flakes.  Toss some chopped peanuts onto the entire thing before you top the bun, and you have yourself a filling, delicious veggie burger.  The flavors all meld together so well, and you get the best of both textural worlds: soft burger mixing the crunchy peanuts and slaw.  Man.  I want one of these now!

Recipe:

Thai veggie burgers with peanut sauce
from Annie's Eats
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
for the burgers:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided, plus more for pan
1 cup water or veggie broth
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup diced red onion

for the slaw:
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

for the peanut sauce:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lime

toasted burger buns
coarsely chopped peanuts

Instructions:

1) In a fine mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa well.  Shake vigorously to remove as much water as possible.  Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat .  Add the drained quinoa to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the water or veggie broth and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let stand covered, 5 more minutes.  Remove the lid, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.

2) In the bowl of a food processor, combine the chickpeas, oats, cornmeal, salt, paprika, garlic, and sesame oil.  Process until the mixture is finely ground and well blended.  Pulse in the egg until combined.  Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.  Fold in the cooled quinoa, diced red pepper and onion, as well as an additional 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Stir together gently until evenly mixed.  Form the mixture into patties (about 6 - 8, depending on the size you make).

3) To make the slaw, combine the cabbages, shredded carrot, and cilantro in a bowl.  Toss to combine.  Set aside.

4) To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.  Whisk together until well blended and smooth.

5) To cook the burgers, add a generous drizzle of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high.  Coat the bottom of the skillet with the oil.  Add the patties to the pan and cook, turning once, until both sides are browned and the patties are cooked through, about 6 - 8 minutes total.  Remove the cooked patties from the pan.

6) Assemble the burgers on toasted buns topped with the slaw, a drizzle of peanut sauce, chopped peanuts, and a squeeze of lime juice as desired.

Veggie burgers for lunch = 1 happy teacher!