Quinoa Spinach Burger Patties

Whenever I think of burgers, the only one that comes to my mind and has me drooling is the Mc-aloo tikki at McDonalds in India. Since coming to US, I have tried burgers from a few different places including the world famous 'In & Out' one but I never found 'the one' that floated my boat - so I had basically given up on the whole burger genre of food. But now after turning into a vegetarian, I tried a couple of decent versions here in the city and was curious to replicate something similar and healthier at home
When I cam across this recipe as always I was quite doubtful about the success of these especially considering it was my first attempt at making patties of any kind. The long list of ingredients wasn't helping my confidence either but surprise surprise they turned out pretty awesome. I have already made them twice once at home and once for a friend's barbecue. Both times I went the extra mile to make some potato wedges and they were the perfect accompaniment to these yummy patties.

Makes 12 patties
INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups cooked Quinoa 
• 1/2 cup rolled oats ground into flour
• 3 tbsp besan/ chickpea flour (or regular all-purpose flour)
• 1 cup finely chopped spinach (can use Kale too)
• 2 tbsp ground flax seeds + 6 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup finely grated sweet potato
• 1/4 cup finely diced sun dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp finely diced onion
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp Tahini paste - runny (can add bit of oil to make it less firm)
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• red pepper flakes to taste

NOTES:

• Its very important that you chop all the veggies very small - otherwise they would not bind properly.
• You can use oil soaked sun-dried tomatoes. I used the non-oily ones, but make sure to soak them in warm water for about 30 mins before chopping

PROCESS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Mix the flax seed powder in the water in a small bowl and set it aside for about 5 mins - till it thickens
3. Chops the veggies - spinach + sweet potato+ onion+garlic
4. Take a large mixing bowl and mix in all the ingredients - wet & dry. 
5. Mix them well and use your hands to form a dough
6. Wet your hands to roll the mixture into patties - you will use about 1/4th cup mixture for each of the cakes.
7. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put it in the oven.
8. Bake for about 15 mins, then take them out and flip them on the other side and bake them again for about 8-10 mins till they turn golden brown.
9. Cool for 10 mins and serve.
10. Serving Suggestion:  I placed them on a multi-grain bun along with a slice of tomato, onion and and some ketchup and mustard sauce. I also added a few slices of avocado and salad leaves. Serve with home made fries (Recipe coming up soon) 

Recipe Source: Oh She Glows