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Black bean quinoa burgers are a great gluten free Cinco de Mayo food option, or a quick and easy vegetarian dinner any time of the year. Mexican spices kick up the flavor of this delicious dish!
The theme for this week’s #SundaySupper is Kids in the Kitchen, so I have Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Burgers with Homemade Guacamole for you.
I was excited about this theme, as it is such a great way to get kids to try new things, and a great activity to do together for both fun and learning. Though I must admit, it does present a challenge for me. I enjoy trying to get The Bug in the kitchen with me. But he has the attention span of, well, a very active two-year old boy, and his other nickname is Mr. Grabby-pants. He wants to grab and touch and examine EVERYTHING. So when I am working with knives or hot surfaces, it is a bit more of a challenge to have him “help” me. Though I keep trying, because I really think he has an interest. He loves to play in his little kitchen and cook for me. Every time we go anywhere that has a play kitchen, he is ready to whip up a meal. And you have seen the photos – he loves food.
So for this #SundaySupper, I wanted to find a recipe that he could definitely help with, and that he would love. Mexican food is his absolute favorite, especially guacamole. Another new favorite are burgers. Well, he wants to grab everything, and he also wants to taste test any food item he sees, so raw meat was not an option. But then I saw these Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers from The Foodie Physician, and I knew they would be perfect. We could make those with some homemade guac, and he could help with all of the mixing and mashing. I also thought it would be great to share this week because maybe not all kids love quinoa or black beans, but put it in burger form, and the little ones may be more willing to try these new foods.
So I got everything prepped in advance – an important thing when you have the kids cooking with you.
Then I brought him in the kitchen with me. Well, one thing about cooking with kids is that you sometimes just have to go with the flow.
The Bug started helping me mash up the beans for the black bean quinoa burgers.
But then he just wanted to eat the extra corn (I had grilled up two ears)…
Then we attempted the guacamole…
But the avocados were a bit hard, so I ended up doing the mashing.
But then we tasted it, and my little guac-freak wouldn’t swallow it. Clearly the avocados were not ripe enough. Yuck! So the entire batch went in the trash, and I ran out to the store to get some new avocados. Oh well! What are you gonna do? We tried. And the second batch was MUCH better. But I had to make it myself because we were all getting hungry.
While the original recipe from The Foodie Physician sounded fabulous, I did make a few tweaks and additions to the black bean quinoa burgers.
To cook the corn, I threw it on the grill, along with the onions, instead of sautéing in a pan (this is some of the prep work I did in advance). Since the garlic would not be cooked with the onions, I actually used the jarred stuff. You can use fresh cloves, but you may want to mash them up a bit so that you don’t end up with raw garlic chunks in your burger. Then I added a bit of lime and cilantro to the yogurt sauce. We served it with the homemade guacamole, instead of sliced avocado, and some grilled pineapple. The guac we made was a bit more kid-friendly than your typical recipe. It doesn’t have any raw onion or jalapeno, and gets just a bit of heat from a little of the chipotle in adobo that is also used in the black bean quinoa burgers.
For more Mexican flavors, serve the black bean quinoa burgers with Grilled Chipotle Lime Sweet Potato Wedges.
And you have a delicious, healthy meal that my little spicy foodie was crazy about.
Mommy and Daddy liked it, too. There were so many flavors going on. A little kick from the chipotle, but not too much. Cooled by the yogurt sauce and the creamy guacamole, with a little zip from the lime in both of these condiments. Then the pineapple added a little sweetness and juiciness. So tasty, and definitely very filling. Actually, the next time I make these black bean quinoa burgers, I will probably cut the recipe in half to make 4 burgers out of it, because I think that would be enough for the three of us.
So what do the other #SundaySupper participants like to cook with their kids or for the kids of their friends and family? Check out the other awesome recipes below.
What do you like to cook with your kids, or what did you cook with your mom or dad when you were a kid?
Ingredients
For the burger patties:
- 1/2 c uncooked quinoa
- 1 small red onion sliced 1/2 in. think, keeping the rings together
- 1 ear of fresh corn or 2/3 c cooked corn
- 1 1/2 t minced garlic from a jar or 3 cloves of garlic, very finely minced
- Kosher salt
- 2 cans black beans 15.5 oz each, rinsed and drained
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 c chopped cilantro
- 1 T minced chipotles in adobo
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 c oatmeal not instant, ground into crumbs
For the yogurt sauce:
- 1/2 c fat free Greek yogurt
- 1 t minced chipotles in adobo + ½ teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
- Juice of a lime
- 1 T chopped cilantro
- 1 honey
- 1/4 t salt
For the guacamole:
- 2 avocados
- juice of half of a lime
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 t minced chipotles in adobo
- 1/2 t cilantro
- 1/2 t kosher salt or to taste
For assembling the burgers:
- 6-8 slices of pineapple about 1/4 in. thick
- salt & pepper
- lettuce
- 6-8 whole wheat rolls
Instructions
For the burger patties:
- Place the quinoa in a small pot and add 1 c of water.
- Bring the water to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and cover.
- Cook 10-15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat your grill to medium high, and grill the onion slices and ear of corn for about 10 minutes, or until softened, and there are some grill marks on both, flipping the onions once, and turning the corn occasionally.
- Remove the corn and onion from the grill. Cut the corn from the cob and chop the onion, and set both aside.
- Combine approximately 1½ cans of black beans, the onion, and garlic in a large bowl, and using a potato masher or fork, mash together until the mixture is combined and pasty.
- Stir in the remaining beans, tomato paste, egg, corn, cilantro, chipotles, cumin, and salt.
- Add the cooked quinoa and ground oats, and stir until evenly distributed.
- Form the mixture into 6-8 equal patties, pressing the mixture together well.
- Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours or overnight.
- Preheat your grill to medium high, and cook on a sheet of aluminum foil for about 10 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy.
For the yogurt sauce:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and stir until well combined.
- Store in the refrigerator.
For the guacamole:
- Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, and scrape the flesh into a bowl (or use a mortar & pestle of molcajete).
- Squeeze the lime juice over the avocados to prevent browning.
- Add the remaining ingredients, and mash together to desired consistency.
- Store in the refrigerator.
For assembling the burgers:
- While grilling the burgers, grill the pineapple for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until soft, sprinkling lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place a slice of pineapple on a bun, top with a burger, the yogurt sauce, guacamole, and lettuce.
Notes
Categories:
Enjoy!
Besides the black bean quinoa burgers, Here is what else is cooking up for #SundaySupper with Kids in the Kitchen:
Start your day:
- Panko Encrusted French Toast Sticks ~Doggie At the Dinner Table
- Pineapple Not-Upside Down Muffins ~In the Kitchen with Audrey
- Bacon, Egg & Sausage Breakfast Cups ~Daily Dish Recipes
- Buttermilk French Toast with Homemade Cinnamon – Raisin Bread ~What Smells So Good
- Snack Attack: 3 Healthy Choices for Little Nibblers ~Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Fruit Salad in an Orange Cup ~Mama’s Blissful Bites
- Whole-wheat Pretzel Dogs ~Family Spice
- Poblano Mac ‘N Cheese ~Juanita’s Cocina
- Coconut Chicken and Shrimp ~Super for a Steal
- Lunie and Mini-me’s Grilled Pizza ~Cravings of a Lunatic
- Hedgehog Meatballs and Chili Dog Pie ~Cooking by the Seat of our Pants
- Walking Tostada ~Shockingly Delicious
- Mini Sausage Rolls ~Small Wallet Big Appetite
- Mini Corn Dog Muffins ~In The Kitchen With KP
- Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Burgers with Homemade Guacamole ~Cupcakes and Kale Chips
- Threaded Spaghetti Hot Dog Bites ~Damn Delicious
- Golden Potato Patties ~My Trials in the Kitchen
- Grilled Chicken Wings in Sesame Flavors ~The Queen’s Notebook
- Spaghetti Tacos ~Girlichef
- Parmesan Corn on the Cob ~Home Cooking Memories
- Yum Yum Salmon ~Family Foodie
- Pad Thai ~Meal Planning Magic
- Chicken Tortilla Bake ~Mrs. Mama Hen
Sweet Treats:
- Chocolate Slab ~Happy Baking Days
- Chocolate Chip Cut-Out Cookies ~Chocolate Moosey
- Self-Crust Coconut Pie ~Magnolia Days
- Fresh Cherry Clafoutis ~The Meltaways
- Wolf’s Wonderful Peanut Butter-Brownie Fudge Sundaes ~The Weekend Gourmet
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream ~The Messy Baker Blog
- Healthy Creamy Caramel Apple Parfaits with Greek Yogurt ~Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding Pops ~Hezzi-D’s Cooks and Books
- Chocolate Cheese Turnover ~Basic and Delicious
- Chocotorta Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Oatmeal and M&M Cookies ~That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Purple Blueberry Cake ~Tora’s Real Food
- Tropical Popsicles ~Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again
- Carrot Cupcakes ~Diabetic Foodie
I submitted this recipe to Spicie Foodie as
This recipe was shared with: Amee’s Savory Dish Fit and Fabulous Fridays #40, Gooseberry Patch Rounding Up Favorite Meatless Meals!
My goodness, this was delicious!!!! The whole family loved them. I have been really craving a burger and since I’m on a healthy-eating kick, I needed something as close to a burger as possible. Great and tasty recipe. I wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe, as I find I need to do on other recipes. Thank you so much for an awesome meal!
Oh good! So glad you enjoyed them! They are very satisfying.
OK, this is a butger I can really sink my teeth into!
It was a meaty meatless burger!
My daughter will love these. Quinoa and black beans are her two main ingredients. Pinning. Thanks for sharing at the Burger Bash.
Thanks! Sorry, your comment ended up in my spam 🙁
I have still yet to try quinoa. These look awesome though. I’d take some of those fries right now, too! =)
GOSH I greatly like the paleo diet… I’ve been on it for 2.5 months and have noticed such drastic positive changes…. I strongly recommend this to ANYBODY! I started off by watching this youtube video for great recipes!!! watch the video
I want this for dinner!! So cute your little guy is such a good helper.
He’s a good helper sometimes 🙂 He has to be in the right frame of mind!
These black bean quinoa burgers sound so flavorful and delicious! I love that Tyler is such a good eater. I can hardly get Maddy to eat anything other than yogurt. Honestly, we go through A LOT of Chobani in our house. I wish she would eat black beans, quinoa and guacamole. Love this recipe! And loved the pictures of you two cooking together.
I have a feeling baby #2 is going to want to live on Cheerios once he gets old enough for “real” food, despite my efforts. I have been going through Chobani like crazy lately. In fact, this is going to be Chobani week on the blog.
Ooo!! I’ll be looking forward to that!
These look SO good! I wish my kiddo liked spicy food, but seriously anything with a little kick and he’s not into it. Regardless, I would totally nom these up any day! I love black bean burgers, and I’ve had quinoa burgers as well. Never thought to combine the two! brilliant 🙂
It is weird, but my little guy is starting to be bothered more and more by spicy. I try to “cool” things down for him with Greek yogurt. Usually works well.
what an amazing recipe! and your little guy is adorable!
Thank you so much!
Yum!! Everything looks so delicious. Your baby is adorable, and love the photos of you too together. Thanks for being a part of the YBR.
Thanks! And thank you again for hosting.
Yum! This looks fantastic! What a creative way to cook with quinoa. Love the combination of flavours.
Thanks. My hubby is not crazy for quinoa, so putting it in burger form was a good way to get him to eat it.
Wow!! These look great!! Thanks for sharing at Foodie Friends Friday!
Thank you, and thanks for stopping by!
OMG I was giggling at the pics. “The Bug” is absolutely adorable and the burgers sound incredible!
Aww, thanks!
Wow! These look amazing!!! Now if only I had such an adorable helper in my kitchen! =] I can’t wait to try these.
Thank you. I would use the term “helper” loosely, but I suppose he tries 🙂
I have been wanting to try quinoa burgers for a long time… and I just happen to have everything to make guacamole right here… your recipe looks wonderful… and I can’t wait for your sweet potato fries recipe. Yum!
This was my first time trying them, and I was happy with the results. Guacamole is so easy, I never want to buy it again.
I admire you for introducing your wee ones to a wide variety of foods. Such a good mommy!
I do try. There is so much I didn’t get to try as a kid, and by the time I did, I was picky so I hated everything for a long time. So I hope to make these flavors and textures familiar to him from an early age.
Damn woman, you are really working the blog scene! I thought those photos were really cute. Can’t quite imagine Danny helping me in the kitchen, like, at all. Hopefully someday. My mom used to make it my job to cut stuff that could be cut with a butter knife.
I am trying, though slowing down a little lately. At this point, Tyler only really helps when I have lots of time. On a daily basis, dinner is all me. Our boys will get there, one day.
Brianne, this recipe looks great! I love adding quinoa to burgers and this would be super easy to make gluten-free. Topped with homemade guac? Oh yes! A perfect meal in my eyes. Thanks for sharing!!
Since I have a wheat intolerance, I just didn’t eat mine on a roll, and it was still plenty satisfying. For someone with celiac or a more severe intolerance, just using gluten-free oats would do it.
This is wonderful recipe, Brianne! Sooner you will have a good helper in the kitchen…he is so cute!
I have him help me sometimes now, and hopefully as he gets older, it will be more and more.
I love how hearty these look! I’m not too fussy about guac but I love the pineapple addition… hmm, weekend dinner…
I add fruit to so many things. I love sweet & savory, and pineapple works so well with Mexican flavors.
I love bean burgers. I have a few I currently make but I love trying new ones because everyone has a different version and they are all uniquely different.
Yes, there are a lot of versions, which is what makes burgers so fun.
Nice to see pictures of you and the “bug”. Looks great!!
Thanks. Yes, so few pics of me because I usually have the camera. Even on vacation!
What a great little helper you have! I love that you have your son eating so well at such a young age!
Thank you. I do try to at least introduce him to a lot of things. It is hit or miss, but I think he is better than a lot of toddlers.
Wow, this is a stunning! I adore Mexican veggie food, so I will definitely be trying this!
Thank you. I am not vegetarian, but Mexican food lends itself so well to veggie recipes. I have a couple on my blog.
I loved these burgers when I first saw them and I adore your version. I would be very happy with this dinner…and want to make them soon! Fabulous!
Yes, Sonali’s recipe was awesome. Just a few small changes based on what I was in the mood for.
I am so excited about this recipe. I love black bean burgers but I have never been able to make a good one at home. This looks fantastic I have actually added it to my meal plan for when my parents come to visit later this week. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you and your parents enjoy it!
That last photo blew my mind. This is one gorgeous Sunday Supper. I love the final photo of your little guy. How cool that he is such a good eater.
Thank you! I love when people love my recipes, but I also am so flattered when people comment on my photos. He certainly turns his nose at some thing, but he is pretty good, in general.
It makes me crazy when the avo’s aren’t ready! Looks like you had fun in the kitchen with your little guy…what a great, healthy burger!
I know! So hard to buy them in advance – either they aren’t ripe enough or they are overripe and a little brown. I should just always buy them the day I plan to use them.
Yum! These look amazing and we could use a healthier twist on the burgers we usually eat!
Thanks. Yes, I do like to make some healthier versions of burgers, but these are my first homemade veggie burgers.
Oh my gosh your son is absolutely adorable!! My boys both liked to cook and still do. I think that’s because they also like to eat home cooked food lol. I thought it so important they learn everything about running a household and taught them as such.
Added your burgers to my recipe box, they are outstanding! Can’t wait to try them.
Have a wonderful week!
Such wonderful things to teahc your boys. I hope to do that as he gets older. Hope you enjoy the burgers.
What a great post, I really love how involved the Bug got! Your addition of lime and cilantro to the yogurt sauce sounds delicious. As always, your photos are stunning, thanks so much for sharing my recipe 🙂
He tried! 🙂 I have such a thing about wasting food, and I had the limes and cilantro, so figured I should just toss it in. It definitely worked!
Awesome burger! And Mr. Grabby-Pants is adorable!
Thank you! He is lucky he is adorable, because he is a pain 🙂
This sounds so good! I always like to discover tasty quinoa recipes. I adore that your 2-year-old loves Mexican food.
I know, I am trying to find ways to make quinoa that The Carnivore Hubby will like.
This looks wonderful! I love that you are introducing such a healthy meal to your kiddo at such a young age! I remember when I did a happy dance when my kids ate brown rice (something the hubby won’t even eat!). Great #sundaysupper post!
We only make brown rice at home! I didn’t eat super-healthy as a kid, so I am trying to start him early, before friends (or his grandma) start introducing him to chicken nuggets and fries, and I have a harder time telling him no.
Aww, looks like the Bug was enjoying the fruits of his labor.
I’ve nominated you for the Addictive Blog Award.
http://treatstrinkets.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunday-smores-easy-smores-pudding-pops.html
He definitely did! Thanks! Going to check out the award now!
These burgers are gorgeous! Your little guy looks like he is really enjoying them. Happy #SundaySupper!
Thanks! He did enjoy them!
Oh my gosh, look at him! He’s so cute! Don’t you hate when you can’t get fresh avocados?
These sound amazing!
I swear, I should only buy avocados the day I am going to use them, because if I buy them i advance, they either don’t ripen enough or they overripen before I use them.
That is a beautiful healthy burger! (Visiting you from #SS!)
Thank you for stopping by!
This sounds like it would be a tasty option for a Meatless Monday.
Yes, absolutely!!
Awesome Recipe and that recipe tester is just the best. He is so cute, I could eat him up! I can’t wait to try this recipe with my kids. My daughter will love it. I am so glad you are such a big part of #SundaySupper!
Thank you! He may not be the best helper in the kitchen yet, but he is a great taste tester. I am really enjoying being part of this great group.
This looks sooooo tasty! I love how your little “bug” loves spice! That dosen’t happen everyday! I’m absolutely trying these. I wonder if my husband will eat a “non-burger” burger with out scrunching his face because it’s not meat, not because it tastes bad! LOL. sometimes i think he’s a 2 year old boy! LOL
Well, my hubby still needed a hot dog, since we had these on 4th of July. He give me such a hard time about vegetarian meals, but I try.
Wow! Now that is one heck of a burger. Yet another quinoa recipe I need to try.
I know, I keep finding so many great quinoa recipes lately.
There are so many great flavors combined together! It really looks amazingly yummy and I´m impressed at your 2 year old eating mexican food!
Avocado was one of his first foods, and it just expanded from there! I love it!