When I uploaded all the previously published “TLT’s Table” recipes to the new Recipes tab on the blog, I realized that the list is a little heavy on the meatball/patty genre.  But since these are supposed to be kid-friendly recipes, and kids do tend to like those sorts of foods, I hope you’ll forgive another recipe of that type:  ”Greek Quinoa Burgers” from (yes, again!) Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food.

I love quinoa and my family teases me for sometimes making an enormous quinoa-veggie pilaf which I then eat all weekend and into the week.  (They, unlike me, are not so enamored of this protein-rich grain.) But when you combine quinoa with mashed beans and seasonings and treat the whole mixture like falafel, you’ll find the quinoa adds an appealing crispiness to the outside of the patties that stands in for a deep-fried crust.

I make these as directed but when I have fresh cilantro on hand, I throw a bunch into the food processor along with everything else for additional flavor.   (If you don’t have cilantro, fresh parsley would also be nice to add a little color.)   You can serve these Greek-style, in a pita with the suggested yogurt sauce, or you could eliminate the cumin (and cilantro) and go for a blander, all-purpose patty that could be served on a bun with ketchup, mustard and other burger fixings.

My kids really liked these – hope yours do, too!

[Ed Note: All recipes previously published on this site, including this one, now appear at the top of every page under the "Recipes" tab.]

Get Your Lunch Delivered and never miss another Lunch Tray post!  Just “Like” TLT’s Facebook page or “Follow” on Twitter and you’ll also get bonus commentary, interesting kid-and-food links, discussion with other readers AND you’ll be showing TLT some love.  ♥♥♥ So what are you waiting for?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Bettina Elias Siegel

Tagged as: Everyday Food, Greek Quinoa Burgers, kid-friendly recipes, Martha Stewart, TLT's Table