Quinoa Burger Topped with Sweet Potato Fries, Caramelized Onions/Mushrooms and Gruyere Cheese

Quinoa Burger Topped with Sweet Potato Fries, Caramelized Onions and Gruyere Cheese
makes 4-6 burgers

I found this recipe about a month ago. Tonight was my second time attempting this! When I first made it for my girlfriends and I, I made a little boo-boo and when I saw "2 cups cooked quinoa" I sort of (totally) forgot that quinoa doubles when cooked... therefore I made this recipe with WAY too much quinoa. I made do and they were still delicious, but wanted to try and make them again.

I made them tonight for me and my family... this time with the right amount of quinoa! The consistency was much much closer to what it needed to be. The original blogger said her burgers didn't fall apart at all when cooking, but I still am having that issue. However, after I flip them if they fall apart I just push it together in the pan and use the gruyere cheese to hold it together.

The original recipe uses "beer onions", however I keep forgetting to get beer before I want to make this. And I always have wine, so it is much easier to do that. I will definitely make this again and I think the addition of some gruyere cheese in the actual burger will help hold in together and make it even more tasty. I also will probably put a fried on top like the original blogger does. Because yum. The original blogger also uses "red quinoa" but I have a hard enough time trying to find regular quinoa sometimes in the grocery store, I didn't want to look.

Quinoa Burger
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup cannellini beans, mashed
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
** 1/4 cup gruyere cheese, shredded

4-6 buns of your choice
Gruyere cheese slices to top

Sweet Potato Fries
4 medium sweet potatoes, cut into thin 1/2 inch thick strips
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
4 table spoon olive oil

Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms
1 tbs butter
1/2 large white onion
1/2 container of sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4-1/2 cup white white
1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions
1. In a bowl combine quinoa, mashed cannellini beans,  bread crumbs, egg, garlic, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to moisten the ingredients and then mix in the shredded cheddar cheese. Mix well again and form into 4-6 equal burger patties.  Place on a plate and put in the fridge.
2. Pre heat oven to 425 F.
3. Place cut potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with oil, chipotle chile powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Gently toss to evenly coat. Spread on a baking sheet in one layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15-20 minutes. You want potatoes to be crispy, not burnt.
4. While the fries cook caramelize the onions/mushrooms. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Stir frequently until softened, approximately 15 minutes. Add garlic and thyme. The bottom of the pan may start to turn brown and some of the onions and mushrooms may get a little dark brown. Add in the wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat and let the wine evaporate into the onions.
5. Heat another skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grab the quinoa burgers and cook until gold and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. During the last minute or so of cooking, add the gruyere cheese on top and allow to melt. You may want to cover the skillet with a top to allow for faster melting.
6. To assemble the burgers, place each burger on a bun and top with the caramelized onions/mushrooms and sweet potato fries.