Chicken-Quinoa Burgers with an Avocado-Yogurt Sauce

by Erin

Today we are joining together to help raise awareness for Heart Disease. Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic lost her Mom to heart disease when her mother was 47, and Kim was 15. Each year on the day her Mom passed she shares stories and photos of her Mom. This year she joined forces with Jen of Juanita’s Cocina, whose life was also touched by heart disease when her Stepfather had a heart attack. Jen’s Stepfather is alive and well more than a decade later, and for that, Jen is thankful every day. The ladies got in touch with other bloggers to ask them to share their own stories about how heart disease has touched their lives. So today we share stories and recipes from our hearts to yours, in memory and honor of Momzie, Kim’s Mom. We hope you will share your stories with us today as well.

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I have been lucky enough to not have heart disease affect my life, but my gene pool doesn’t lack in other diseases so I can definitely relate to Kim’s loss and also being thankful for those that remain in good health. And staying in good health can benefit from eating the right foods.

This recipe contains a few great foods that may help lower the risk of heart disease. Whole grains such as qunioa are high in fiber which helps lower “bad” LDLs. Avocados can also help lower “bad” LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body. Yogurt actually may help against gum disease, but if left unchecked can elevate the risk for heart disease. I have also seen sweet potatoes and red bell peppers listed in a top 25 heart-healthy foods list due to their beta-carotene (a carotenoid).

And the best part about these burgers? They are really stinking delicious.

Chicken-Quinoa Burgers

One year ago: Maple, Walnut, and Flaxseed Pancake Doughnuts

Two years ago: Spicy Cheetos Crusted Chicken

CHICKEN-QUINOA BURGERS WITH AN AVOCADO-YOGURT SAUCE

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup uncooked black quinoa (I used regular)

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 cup cilantro leaves, divided in half

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 avocado

3 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt

Juice from a lime (about  2 Tbsp)

4 whole wheat buns, toasted

1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese

Directions:

  1. Cook the quinoa in boiling water for about 15 minutes, until it pops into little spirals. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cooked quinoa, red bell pepper, half the cilantro, chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, garlic salt, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Thoroughly mix with your hands, and then form four patties. You can chill these in the fridge if you want, or go ahead and cook them.
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the patties and sear until browned on both sides and cooked all the way through, 10 – 12 minutes total. Set aside.
  4. In a food processor, combine the avocado, yogurt, remaining cilantro, lime juice and a pinch of salt.
  5. Smear a little of the avocado sauce on the bottom half of the onion bun. Top with a chicken-quinoa patty, more avocado sauce then some crumbled cotija cheese. Serve with sweet potato fries (or tots in my case).

Source: Bev Cooks

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24 comments

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natalie@thesweetslife March 11, 2013 - 9:02 pm

I’m in major burger mode over here and these sound great!

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JanetFCTC March 8, 2013 - 4:05 pm

These look great, Erin. I love finding new uses for Quinoa!

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Isabelle @ Crumb March 8, 2013 - 9:24 am

Oh yum… I’ve been trying to find new ways to include quinoa in my diet, and this one sounds like it’s right up my alley, since I do make chicken burgers pretty often as it is. And really, there’s nothing that can’t be improved by adding a scoop of buttery avocado goodness, as far as I’m concerned. :)
Bookmarked!

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Renee March 6, 2013 - 5:24 pm

I discovered quinoa last year (well, tried it for the first time) and since then I can’t get enough of it. I haven’t made burgers with it yet though. Nice recipe and inspiration!
You are lucky you have not been touched with heart disease. It’s far too common these days.

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Tara March 6, 2013 - 5:13 pm

That is one awesome looking burger!! Thanks so much for sharing. I so want to try this!!!

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Carla March 6, 2013 - 9:47 am

I’ve never cooked with quinoa before. I ate it once at a potluck, but that’s pretty much the only experience I have with it haha Burgers look good!

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Vicki @ WITK March 5, 2013 - 9:59 pm

This looks like a wonderful and healthy burger. I’m loving quinoa these days and always like new recipes that includes it in the ingredients list!

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Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts March 5, 2013 - 8:15 pm

I love avocados and quinoa, what a great healthy burger!

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Natalie @ will jog for food March 5, 2013 - 4:38 pm

Those burgers look awesome!

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Susan March 5, 2013 - 4:11 pm

These are some great looking burgers, that avocado yogurt sauce is calling my name!

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Kristen March 5, 2013 - 3:26 pm

Those burgers are a great addition to this healthy round up!

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Liz March 5, 2013 - 1:29 pm

I love the sound of your burger, Erin! And that avocado sauce is amazing!!!!

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Cindys Recipes and Writings March 5, 2013 - 11:10 am

These chicken burgers and sauce look fantastic! Thanks for helping spread awareness about heart disesase! Cindy

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Nancy @ gottagetbaked March 5, 2013 - 10:58 am

Erin, these burgers are fantastic! I love everything about them – they must taste amazing. Heart disease runs in my family and my dear husband just got diagnosed with off-the-charts-high cholesterol (we’re only 32 for goodness sake!). Needless to say, I’ve been cooking up a LOT Of heart healthy foods lately and this recipe must join the roster. Thanks for sharing!

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Jen @JuanitasCocina March 5, 2013 - 9:41 am

Oh my gosh, they DO look stinking delicious! I can’t wait to healthy it up with one of these!

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Jenni March 5, 2013 - 9:35 am

Wow, you packed a ton of heart-healthy ingredients into those burgers! They look and sound just wonderful!

So much disease can be averted through healthy eating, I believe. Food truly is medicine. :)

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Ali March 5, 2013 - 9:17 am

I just had to share that my kiddos went totally CRAZY when they saw your blog design. The cookie with the glasses! :) Super cute, they are big fans :o)

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spiffycookie March 5, 2013 - 9:19 am

Hahaha aww I love it! Thanks for sharing :-)

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Kim Beaulieu March 5, 2013 - 8:34 am

Erin these are fabulous burgers. I’ve not tried them with quinoa yet so I need to try this out. They look perfect, I think I’ll be grilling mine. Yum!

Thank you so much for sharing with us today. It’s so nice to have blogging friends like you who are so supportive and kind. I cannot thank you enough for contributing today. It means the world to me. xx

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Tracey March 5, 2013 - 8:19 am

I love everything about these burgers!! We’ve been trying to eat healthier, this is a perfect way to satisfy the burger craving.

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Jessica | Oh Cake March 5, 2013 - 8:16 am

I haven’t been too much of a quinoa fan but I think I’m going to need to change my tune. Adding avocado to anything makes it amazing in my book!

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Christine (Cook the Story) March 5, 2013 - 8:05 am

Erin,
These burgers sound delicious! I love all the heart-healthy foods going on in there. I am definitely going to give these a try. Yum!
Christine

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