This recipe turned out so well.
The earthiness of the beetroot together with my creamy basil and hazelnut pesto was absolutely delicious and light.

I tell you, these beet quinoa burgers are such a great option for a meat-free meal, and they are loaded with nutritional benefits.

Beets

Beetroots are rich in fibre . They contain a good dose of manganese, potassium, folate, vitamin C and antioxidant promoting compounds such as betalains and carotenoids. They help to support our innate detoxifcation pathways in our liver , reduce inflammation , as well as support our vascular and cardiac system as they are rich in nitric oxide.

Quinoa 

The grain quinoa dates back all the way to the Inca Empire. With all its nutritional perks, no wonder it was known as the “the mother of all grains” during this time. Quinoa is high in manganese, magnesium, folate as well as some B vitamins. Quinoa is a great gluten-free option . It contains bioactive flavonoids, such as quercetin and kaempferol. These help to ‘switch off’ genes involved in inflammatory pathways in the body, while also having an effect on our ant-oxidant and anti-cancer genes. Quinoa is a high in fibre, low GI grain option. It is also very high in protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.

Recipe (makes 7 burgers):

Ingredients 

Burgers

2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 red onion , finely chopped
1 clove of garlic , grated
200g quinoa
3  small beetroots
250g ready-cooked spelt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 cup of parmesan
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Accompaniments
My basil and hazelnut pesto
Fresh rocket
Gluten-free or whole-wheat roll
Lettuce cups
Eggplant crisps

Pickled Radishes

3 radishes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon of water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon honey

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Place the quinoa in a saucepan, together with 2 cups of water. Place the saucepan on the stove and bring the quinoa to the boil. Once boiling , reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
2 Peel the beetroots and cut in half. In another saucepan, boil the beetroot for 15 minutes until relatively soft.
3 Finely chop the onion and grate the garlic. In a pan, pour the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic on a low to medium heat until translucent. Add the cinnamon and cumin and mix for another minute until all the flavours and absorbed.
4 Remove the beetroot from the heat and cut into fine pieces.
5 In a food processor, place the cooked quinoa, cooked spelt, cooked beetroot, onion spice mixture, salt, pepper and parmesan. Blend away
6 Once all the ingredients are combined, lay out a roasting tray with baking paper.
7 Brush some olive oil onto your hand and start rolling the quinoa and beetroot mixture into patties. You should get 7 decent-sized patties.
8 Place 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan on medium heat and seal the burgers on each side for about 3-4 minutes, giving them a nice golden colour.
9 Place the burgers onto the roasting tray and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until slightly more firm.

Pickled radish

1 Slice the radishes thinly with a knife.
2 Place them in a bowl with the red wine vinegar, water, salt and honey
3 Let them have a ‘quick pickle’, by soaking them for 5 minutes.

Plating up 

You can either use a gluten-free or whole-wheat roll. Alternatively, a lettuce cup is always an option.
Smear a good amount of the basil and hazelnut pesto (or my kale and sunflower seed pesto ) onto your roll or burger (if you are using a lettuce cup). Put a handful of rocket on the patty followed by the pickled radish. I topped my burger off with eggplant crisps which I quickly made in the oven.
Served with a side of crunchy slaw.

*Tip: you may need to blend the burger mixture in batches and then combine in one big bowl.
**Tip: the burgers have a firmer texture after they have been in the fridge for a day

Nourish yourself to the sunrise.

Cooked with love,
Sunrise by HM

Nourished yet? Comment on what I should write about next?

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