There are too many words to describe my favorite meal of this week! So I'll limit them to: cute, little, adorable, mini, and Delicious!!! And these happen to contain so many of our favorite flavors. It was so cool to be able to put these together using mainly our kitchen staples. We always have a bag of quinoa, some frozen corn for who knows what, we stock black beans like a corner bodega, tomatoes and salad greens...check, and avocados...if you can't find avocados in our house then you won't find us either...because we're at the store buying more. But besides being deelish and suited perfectly for our palettes we love these for the possibilities of 'em. We've gone to plenty of pot luck type get togethers where veggie burgers woulda been a huge hit. And sliders!!! Tiny cuties that even the thinny minis won't feel guilty about. So great for cooking for a group because they're so simple...and great for dinner for two because you can easily wrap up the extra patties and freeze them for a future feast.
And holy cow...the avocado cream sauce is like phenomenal...later in the evening we watched tv and dipped carrots in a bowl of it. I saw this recipe on the Naturebox blog and knew we had to give it a try. It is so so us!
Again, it's so incredibly easy. And you could truly use both the avocado cream sauce and the slider recipes on their own and in so many other meals.
This recipe makes 12 sliders.
Here is what you will need:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (or a bit more if mixture is too loose)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (whole wheat is fine too)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1-2 tablespoons pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you can just cut/mash them really well)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 large eggs (or for vegetarians, egg substitute)
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
1/2 cup canned black beans (drained and rinsed)
salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil for your pan (about 2-3 tablespoons)
12 slider buns of your choice (we used Alexia brand Sweet Potato rolls)
Sliced tomato
Arugula or favorite greens
For the Avocado Cream Sauce:
1 avocado seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
dash of lime juice
salt & pepper to taste
Start out by making the Avocado Cream Sauce. It's super easy and fast! In your food processor or blender add the avocado, garlic, Greek yogurt, cilantro, cumin, dash of lime juice, salt and pepper...
Process till smooth! And then put to the side. Yep...that easy!!
So, before jumping into making the slider mix you might want to take the time to prepare your buns.
We used these and loved them! Really, they brought a tiny bit of sweetness to the overall slider experience. These come in this bag, frozen, and slightly browned.
And then you just pop them in the oven to make them all golden and good. They take about 12-15 mins in the oven.
Now, again, it couldn't be easier...grab a large bowl and combine the cooked quinoa, Parmesan, panko, flour, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, chipotle peppers, lime juice, eggs, corn, beans, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. We used our hands.
When everything is mixed well, divide the mixture into 12 balls and form little patties.
In a large skillet heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the patties to the skillet and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side, flipping only once.
You don't want to crowd them so break them up into two batches. You may need to add the third tablespoon of olive oil to the pan for your second batch.
Now all that is left is assembling these little bundles of heaven. A slice of tomato, some greens, a dollop of the Avocado Cream Sauce...and SERVE!!
We absolutely loved these and will be making them again very soon! We happen to like a couple varieties of pre-made veggie burgers that are on the market, but these are leaps and bounds beyond those. So much more moist and full of flavor. We really were so excited after making these and couldn't wait to share them with you. We really think they'll appeal to vegetarians and meat eaters alike! There's nothing lacking. Perfect little bite sized party on a bun!
Hope you'll give them a try!!
xo Jenny & Aaron