Oregon Burgers

1 15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and mashed
½ cup cooked quinoa
½ cup yellow onions, chopped
½ cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup kale, chopped
¼ cup hazelnuts, chopped
¼ tsp ground thyme
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp oregano
½ tsp salt
1 tbs soy powder

1) Saute the onion and mushroom in cooking spray or olive oil until onions are clear; add the kale and sauté until the onions are brown.
2) Combine quinoa, mashed beans, mushrooms, onion, kale, hazelnuts, salt, and spices in a mixing bowl; mix with your hands or a spoon until ingredients are well-combined and the mixture sticks together. If mixture is too wet, add soy flour by the teaspoon until it is the right consistency.
3) Form into 4-6 patties.

134 calories/patty
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My recent trip to Oregon inspired this recipe. It seemed that every menu I looked at had a quinoa offering. I had some nice steamed kale with quinoa at Blossoming Lotus and quinoa topped with black bean salad at the Rogue Brewery, so I in. Hazelnuts are also fairly Oregon, and I threw mushrooms in because I like them.

This burger is pretty good. It could maybe use a little more salt and the thyme is a little too prominent, but it is fairly flavorful. The hazelnuts make it crunchy, much like Oregon. I can see this going really well with beer bread.