Kale Quinoa Giardino Burgers

A taste of fresh, a hint of green and a lean towards the garden with gluten-free Kale Quinoa Giardino Burgers.   A guest post from the sisters Bernardi, Consuelo & Natasha, who love great food and forward fashion.  

Guest Post! One Beauty of a Burger.

Consuelo & Natasha pen and post as beauty bloggers in the Ottawa area as a united force; Bernardi Beauty.  Earlier this year they gave me a forum to blog about food, fashion and beauty (both inner and outer) as I approach fifty.  I hardly consider myself a style icon!  But I do know a thing or two about staying healthy, happy and living my own brand of beauty.

We thought it would be fun to swap roles, with Consuelo & Natasha contributing a recipe to Food Gypsy.  Like all recipes on this site, it’s kitchen-tested for favour and accuracy.  I love the fresh, earthy taste of kale combined with the ancient grain nuttiness of quinoa.   In my kitchen, I combined the Giardino (Italian for garden) patty with sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic cream cheese and also tested it with guacamole & taco sauce.  Two thumbs up.

Being Italian food is always a big part of every family get together.  Growing up, what we ate was always homemade.  It tasted wonderful because everything was fresh, not processed and most importantly,  it was made with love.

Our childhood experience directly reflects our food philosophy as adults – we believe what we eat should be three things: natural, fresh and flavorful. It also has to look appealing – bright colors and different textures – no slosh!

“Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” – Michael Pollan

Here is our latest favourite recipe – it’s Bernardi sisters approved!

The quest for a veggie burger or as my niece and nephew call it ‘The Giardino Burger’ all started with an episode of Curious George on TV.  Chef Pisghetti was trying to perfect his latest creation, a ‘veggie burger’ for the local firehouse and he called it ‘The Giardino Burger’.  After that episode, the kids were obsessed with testing the Gairdino Burger.  My sister and I found a great recipe that’s healthy, delicious and filling – so much so that you don’t even miss the meat.  It’s the perfect burger substitute.

We used a whole bag of frozen kale for this burger, a whole head of garlic and we added an extra egg. The results were amazing (even the kids LOVED THEM).

Kale Quinoa Giardino Burgers

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: Cori Horton
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: serves 6
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

A veggie burger you’re gonna LOVE! Fresh, with a hint of green and a lean towards the garden with gluten-free Kale Quinoa Giardino Burgers.

---

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked & cooled
• 6 cups kale, cleaned, deveined, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup chives, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (to keep it gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for cooking)
• 6 burger buns (gluten-free, optional)
• 12 slices of tomato
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in skillet on medium heat, sweat onions and garlic, approximately 3 minutes. Add kale and cook until kale is bright green and soft; about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cool competently, then add quinoa and mix.
2. Lightly beat eggs with Parmesan, chives and salt in medium mixing bowl. Add egg/cheese mixture to kale and quinoa, then bind with breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Form patties using a half cup of the wet mix, then chill in freezer for 8 – 10 minutes to firm patties.
3. Place clean skillet on medium heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Gently place patties in skillet, being careful not to splash hot oil or overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown on each side, approximately 5 minutes per side. Remove kale quinoa patties, drain on paper towel and reserve

4. Mix mayonnaise and smoked paprika together in a small bowl. Toast buns. Assemble burgers with a liberal smear of mayo, tomatoes and leaf lettuce. Serve immeadatly.

 

• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Burgers
• Method: Frying
• Cuisine: American