Halloween Butternut Squash Quinoa Burgers

Celebrate Halloween with these "Orange" veggie burgers made with butternut squash. If you’re like me you’re looking for a few new ways to use up some butternut squash this time of year! They are delicious and festive for the occasion today!

Butternut Squash Quinoa Burgers
4 servings

1/2 cup butternut squash, cooked
1/4 cup quinoa, dry
5 ounces feta, crumbled
1 organic egg
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coconut oil or organic butter
1 fresh lemon
4 whole wheat rolls (optional)
2 cups mixed baby greens

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, ~ 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

In a food processor, pulse butternut squash, 2 oz. feta, 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, sea salt and pepper until just combined. Fold in the quinoa, the walnuts and the egg.

Form mixture into four patties. In a large skillet, with a splash of coconut oil or organic butter cook burgers on medium heat until cooked through and crispy on the outside, 8-10 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine remaining feta, 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, lemon juice from half a lemon, and dash of cumin (~1/2 teaspoon). Season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers on a whole wheat roll topped with a few baby greens and creamy feta sauce.

Enjoy!

Learn more about the better-for-you ingredients in this recipe:

Butternut squash is full of fiber, a key part of a naturally cleansing and rejuvenating lifestyle. Butternut squash is also packed with antioxidants that fight free radicals. Free radicals are believed to contribute to disease and accelerate aging.

Quinoa is a great source of protein (~6 grams per 1/4 cup serving). It is also a great source of fiber (nature’s perfect scrub brush to help with your body’s housecleaning, healing and repair work) and is easier to digest than most traditional animal-protein sources (beef, chicken, etc) in a rejuvenating lifestyle.

Feta cheese Cleansing gurus believe goat and sheep milk cheeses are easier than cow’s milk dairy for your body to digest.