Curried quinoa burger with tangy roasted eggplant and spiced peanut butter spread

I’ve been loving everything curry lately; in these burgers, savory pancakes, roasted root veggies, my hair… kidding, let’s not get curried away.  Or let’s do, life is short (and so is your temper after my puns).  In this recipe, I used the McCormick brand organic curry powder, which contains coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, red pepper and onion… it has depth and a subtle sweet mapley flavor.  Seize the spice!

Serves 2, 3 pretty patties each with eggstra eggplant

Curried quinoa burger:

½ cup cooked quinoa

1 cup cooked or canned cannellini beans

¼-1/2 tsp salt, to taste

2 tsp curry powder ­

½ tsp garlic powder

4 medium sized carrots, pureed (reserve ½ for Spiced pb spread)

Burger buns or collard wraps, toppings of choice (pictured: Ezekiel English muffins, lemony kale+ red pepper, curry kraut from Sweet Farm Sauerkraut and Spiced pb spread)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. If using canned beans, drain and rinse them in a strainer, then mash 1 cup in a small mixing bowl, adding the quinoa and spices, adjusting to taste
3. Fill a small pot about ¾ full with water, cover and bring to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, take your carrots and slice off the ends.  Peel the outer skins and cut the carrots into bite sized pieces
4. When the water is boiling, carefully remove the lid (you may need a towel or oven mitt) and add the carrots to the water with a slotted spoon. Fill a medium sized bowl with ice water, and set near the boiling pot.  Let the carrots cook in the water until tender and easily pierced with a fork, the amount of time depends on the size of your cuts.  It took me around 10 minutes.  (If you want to roast an eggplant too, at this point you can start, following the steps under Tangy roasted eggplant)
5. Once tender, turn off the stove and transfer the carrots from the pot to the ice bath with your slotted spoon (this stops the cooking). Save the carrot cooking water for this next step, and for the Spread recipe.  Once cool enough, place half the the carrots in a blender and blend until smooth and pureed.  You may need to add some of the cooking water to help a blender out.
6. Add the carrot puree (it should make ½ cup) to the rest of the ingredients and stir together, then scoop out patties with a ¼ cup measure and shape with your (squeaky clean) hands. Place them on the lined baking sheet and flatten slightly.  This makes 6 patties.
7. Into the oven! After 15 minutes, carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cooo0ol

 

Tangy roasted eggplant:

1 medium eggplant

2 oranges, juiced (about ½ cup juice)

1 T Worcestershire sauce (I used Lord Sandy’s Vegetarian kind)

2 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp garlic powder

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment, slice your oranges in half and juice them. Rinse your eggplant and cut off the top.  Slice the eggplant lengthwise into four “steaks” and set aside.  Add the juice to a sauté pan with the Worcestershire sauce, coconut oil, garlic powder and black pepper and bring it to a simmer

1. Add the eggplant steaks to the warm marinade, turning the heat very low or off and covering the pan. After about 5 minutes, flip the eggplants for even coating, and cover, keeping an eye on them until most of the marinade is absorbed
2. Carefully transfer the eggplants to the lined baking sheet, and drizzle any leftover marinade on top.  Roast them in the 400 F oven for 15 minutes, then turn the sheet around and roast for an additional 10 minutes
3. Let it cool on the wire rack, and when ready to eat, slice the steaks in half if ya like burger-sized

 

Spiced peanut butter spread:

¼ cup shredded coconut

1 T + ½ tsp low sodium Tamari, separated

2 medium carrots, pureed (half of carrots from burger recipe)

½ cup peanut butter (I used unsweetened)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp honey, or maple syrup for vegan

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ginger powder

Method:

1. Toast ¼ cup of shredded coconut on a medium-low skillet, keeping an eye on it and tossing with a spatula to prevent burning.  Once it has some color, add ½ tsp Tamari and stir to coat evenly.  Let it cook a few more minutes, until NICE and toasty (to your liking), then remove from the heat
2. Add the carrots to the blender and puree from low to high until smooth, adding the reserved cooking liquid as needed
3. Add all other ingredients to the blender and adjust seasoning/ add cooking liquid as needed, transfer to a small bowl/container, smother on a toasted bun and eat everything!