This weekend we had my parents come over and visit. They enjoyed the visit with the girls so much that they decided to take them over for a sleepover. Of course the girls really wanted to go, so they each packed a bag (and a lot of toys) and off they went. This left Craig and I alone, something that NEVER happens. It was eerily quiet in the house and actually kind of awkward to not have the kids around. When they are here there is always so much background noise and the silence was so strange to me. I realized how much I really miss them and how my life (and this house) seems so empty without them in it.

When we went to pick them up yesterday, I knew that I wanted to make something extra special for them to have for dinner, so burgers it was!

Smokey Hickory Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers

These burgers are high in protein. More so than a classic meat burger. They are made with whole grain quinoa and black beans and flavored with hickory liquid smoke and BBQ sauce. A vegan burger recipe that you won’t be able to live without.

Makes 8 Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 (540 ml) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup hickory BBQ sauce (I use Bulls Eye)
• 2 teaspoons hickory liquid smoke
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• canola oil for frying
• 8 whole wheat burger buns
• Topping of your choice. Lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, relish, dijon mustard, onions or pickles.

Directions

In a medium saucepan, bring the quinoa and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, place the drained and rinsed black beans in a food processor along with the BBQ sauce and liquid smoke. Process until smooth. Place the processed bean mixture in a large mixing bowl. Once the quinoa is cooked, remove it from the heat, uncover, stir and allow it to cool a little. Add the quinoa to the bean mixture along with the bread crumbs, minced onion and garlic. Stir until everything is well combined. Refrigerate to set about 5-10 minutes. Heat a skillet on medium heat along with a bit of canola or olive oil. Form the burgers into 8 patties. Fry the burgers for 3-5 minutes on each side, until browned.

Serve on a whole wheat bun with your favorite toppings!

Whenever I make these burgers I usually make my own oven-baked fries to go along with them. This time, I decided to do things differently and made some ‘Honey’ Dijon Glazed Baby Red Potatoes as a side.

‘Honey’ Dijon Glazed Baby Red Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs baby red potatoes

‘Honey’ Dijon Glaze

• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Cut the baby potatoes in half. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until fork tender and not too soft about 12 minutes. While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the glaze by whisking together the brown rice syrup and Dijon mustard.Drain the potatoes and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle on the ‘Honey’ Dijon Glaze, stir to coat and serve!

I love meals like this one, especially when summer is around the corner and BBQ season is in the air. These are so healthy that you don’t even have to feel bad having one (or two). And meals like this prove that you can have just as delicious vegan versions of non-vegan classic meals and healthier too!

Have a wonderful day! 🙂