Thursday, February 19, 2009

Frugal AND Healthy!

If you are unfamiliar with Quinoa, you need to search it out. It is an amazing grain that is incredibly high in protein. We love these burgers and they are so cheap to make. I do buy my quinoa in bulk, so that makes it less expensive. I have seen it available in my local grocery store.

Quinoa Burgers
Rinse and then soak overnight:

1 ½ cups quinoa
enough water to more than cover

Next day:

Saute in oil until tender:

1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped



Add and bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 15 minutes.

½ t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 ½ cups chicken broth (homemade is best, can also use beef)
rinsed and drained quinoa


(You do need to let this cool a little. I spread it out on a baking pan so I don't burn my hands and cook the eggs!)

Once cool enough

Add:


1 cup oat flour or whole wheat flour
4 eggs, beaten


Mix this well, but not too much that it gets gummy. Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet. Oil hands and form into 3 inch patties. This seems too loose, but it is not, they firm up when they fry.



Fry in skillet.



Serve on homemade whole wheat buns with your favorite toppings! High protein, delicious and frugal!



The estimated cost of this meal:

Quinoa burgers approximate cost is $3.00

Oven Fried Potatoes: $1.25

Salad: $2.50 ish


This is estimated high, so it is probably actually less. I like to error on the safe side.


This recipe fed our family of 10 with a few burgers leftover. So, $6.25 for our whole family!! That's a little more than one 'horrible for you Value Meal' at your local burger joint!



This recipe is adapted from the cookbook "Healthy Recipes from the Heart of our Homes" by Phyllis and Shirley, available at http://www.breadbakingsupplies.com/.
This is part of Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.

4 comments:

Katie said...

Did it actually taste like a "real" burger? I have some quinoa that I need to use, but I'd hate to waste food it isn't all that tasty....ya know.

Michelle (She Looketh Well) said...

Mrs. B.
No, it does not taste like a 'real' burger, but it tastes great. The key for the flavor is in the seasonings, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. It would be very bland if you did not season well. It really is good. My kids can be pretty picky and they love it. We put ketchup and regular burger toppings on it. We also like tuna burgers. But we LOVE real hamburgers too! This is just a frugal and healthy alternative. We buy only organic grass fed beef at about $4.00 a pound, so we throw these in to make our 1/2 side of beef last longer :) Hope that helps! Thanks

Laryssa Herbert said...

Thanks for this great recipe! I've been looking for ways to use quinoa. It makes for a frugal meal that's still nourishing.

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

I wanted to try this with rice as well. BEt it would be similar.