Chewy quinoa, spinach and lentils vegan patties

 

Is there anything more satisfying than biting something chewy or crunchy when you are hungry?
I often realize that I crave a certain texture much more than a precise food!
Does it happen to you as well? I love playing with textures as much as I love playing with different tastes. And one thing that drives me absolutely mad is a mushy veggie burger!! I had to work hard to understand the principles of a perfectly compact veggie burger and after dozens of mushy, sad patties, I have my own secret weapons in the pantry to make compact patties out of almost every veggie on earth!
No mushy patties in thefairykale’s kitchen, it’s a promise!

These patties were not programmed at all and ,like many non-programmed things, they came out super yummy! I had the fridge full of leftovers, mainly cooked quinoa, spinach and lentils.
A Buddha bowl was not an option as I was badly craving something chewy so the first thing I thought of was to make patties.
And here they are! Delicious, protein-packed and filling.

You can make a big batch like I did and then keep them in the fridge to add proteins to your sandwich, dinner bowl or lunch box. You can easily change the type of veggies, use millet instead of quinoa or beans instead of lentils, zucchini instead of spinach. The combinations are endless and this is a very tolerant recipe; you can really play with it and adapt it to what you have on hand, the result will be always excellent. The secret weapons here to get the nice chewy consistency are chickpeas flour and corn starch.

The procedure is super easy, just mix everything in a bowl until you reach a firm consistency.

Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then check again and if necessary add some more bread crumbs, until you see that you can easily work with the dough.

Now form your patties and pass them in a plate full of breadcrumbs to coat them evenly.

Brown them on medium-high heat in a large pan with some evoo.

Done!

Serve them with a salad or use them to make delicious veggie burgers with your favourite sauces.

CHEWY QUINOA, SPINACH AND LENTILS VEGAN PATTIES
makes about 9 patties, Ø 8 cm (3 inches) each

• 1 cup of cooked quinoa
• 1 cup of lentils
• 1 cup of cooked spinach (I let them wilt in a skillet, then squeezed the water out)
• 1 big clove of garlic, pressed
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil + some more to cook
• 1 tablespoon of mustard (paste)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of chickpeas flour
• 2 tablespoons of corn starch
• 5 tablespoons of bread crumbs (use gluten free if you wish)
• 1 tablespoon of sweet curry powder (you can omit it or substitute it with other spices you like)
• 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika (same as above)
• salt and pepper

1.   Cut the cooked spinach into small pieces: you can use a food processor, a knife or a scissor.

2.   Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a spoon. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then check the consistency with your hands. It must be quite firm to allow you to form perfect patties without sticking on your hands. If it does, add some more bread crumbs.

3.   Pour a good layer of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet (about 0.5 cm, 2 inches) and heat it up on medium-high heat. Fry your patties on medium heat for 3 – 4 minutes on each sides or until they get a nice crust.

4.   Serve them with a salad or make delicious veggie burgers. You can store them in the fridge in an airtight container; they last perfectly 3-4 days and will be your favourite protein bites!