Prepare the chia gel by mixing the chia seeds with 3 tbsp water in a bowl and allow it to stand for 15 minutes. Bring the quinoa to the boil in the water, then cover and let simmer on a very low heat for 15 minutes. Dice the onion, garlic and spinach in to very small pieces. I used a food processor for this as I hate chopping! Mash the beans. You can leave some of them whole if you like, for a chunkier texture. Mix all of the ingredients together, along with the chia gel. The gel will act as a binder and is a great alternative to egg in recipes such as these where the purpose is binding. Remember that the binding properties of every recipe will differ slightly depending on how much moisture you leave in the quinoa, or how juicy your spinach leaves are! You may have to use more binder or spend more time forming the burgers if your mix turned out wetter than mine. Divide the mix in to burgers or balls, and allow to set in the fridge for 30 minutes. This step can be omitted if you are in a hurry, but they will keep their form better when cooking if you allow them to set. Shallow fry for several minutes or bake for about 15-20 minutes at 200 degrees celsius.

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