Black Bean Quinoa Patties: Day Five

Hoorah! I stepped on the scale today and I have lost three pounds. Isn’t that a cause for celebration? I am feeling so good and eating so well that I almost made brownies today. Alas I did not, and now it is too late.

What To Do with That Soup

Have you ever had a soup that nobody wants to eat? I have been stuck with a can of Progresso Black Bean soup for months. I love their lentil soup, and I like black beans just fine, but I am not a fan of this soup.

Last night, I found a solution that turned that soup into something very different indeed, and I am definitely a fan. If you have an old can of bean soup no one will eat, maybe you could try it in this recipe.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

Quinoa Diet Daily Recap

For breakfast, I had yogurt and quinoa again.

For lunch, I made Black Bean Quinoa Patties (recipe below). I got the idea from this video here. I served the patties with ranch dressing and sauteed mushrooms. You can find recipe down below.

For snack, I ate a banana.

For dinner, I fixed a spinach and mushroom salad with lemon chickpeas followed by a chicken soup I whipped up from a Twitter recommendation for Coconut Chicken Corn Soup.

I love when I can go to Twitter and find supper plans.

Sometimes I do impress myself with my superkitchen abilities.

I used one and a half pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of a rotisserie chicken. I just cut them into bite-size pieces and sauteed them in the pot for a few minutes before adding the onion. I had to use almond milk instead of coconut. I added about 3 tablespoons of minced garlic and at least half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. I also cut back one cup of water because there wouldn’t have been room in my pot for anymore. I served this soup over quinoa as recommended.

If you are looking for a chicken soup recipe that no one would guess took you less than thirty minutes to prepare, check out the original recipe on Rebel Grain. Go ahead and include the garlic and hot pepper flakes if you need to clear your sinuses. And remember to pick up some coconut milk so you have it on hand for recipes like this.

Black Bean Quinoa Patties

makes 6 patties

1 19 ounce can Progresso Black Bean soup
1⅓ cup cooked quinoa
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
red pepper flakes
1 cup breadcrumbs

In the morning, I mashed the beans and stirred in the quinoa and other ingredients except breadcrumbs, then put it in the refrigerator until lunch so the quinoa could absorb all the broth. When I was ready to cook, I added the breadcrumbs to thicken the mash and bind it together. I have some flat measuring cups, and I used the ½ cup one to measure out each patty and then gently flatten and spread it to about 4 inches in diameter. I wound up adding about 1 tablespoon to each patty to use up what was left in the bowl. This amount will make six patties slightly larger than ½ cup each.

before cooking

To cook the patties, heat a ten- or twelve-inch skillet to medium and add just enough oil to coat the pan. Heat three patties at a time for about 5 minutes total, though cooking time will vary based on thickness of the patties. Turn patties during cooking to crisp both sides.

The pan sides of these “burgers” crisp up nicely, but they remain somewhat soft inside. If you stab them with your spatula, they give way. I don’t know that I would serve them on buns because that would be a lot of carbs, and I think the patties might squish when you try to bite through bun. You might stick them in a pita with a dollop of yogurt.

I served my patties on a plate with some dressing, and I ate them with a fork. I had planned to garnish with sour cream but wound up using a light ranch dressing instead.

NOTE (2/29/12): Check out Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Patties for a gluten-free variation.

I hope you had a tasty day. Feel free to drop a comment down below. I would love to hear about you and your healthy choices.

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