Lettuce-wrapped BBQ Quinoa Kale + Corn Veggie Burgers with Old Bay Cheddar + scenes from cape cod!

Last week my man turned 40!! Yes you read that right. Chris – the man who often gets mistaken as my younger half, is now forty years old. To be clear I am nine years his junior. I mean, you know, now that we’re stating the facts and everything.

For several months now he has been ‘planning’ on ringing in his 40s at the Jersey shore in Sea Isle City. A place we visit often because we have super rad family friends who so generously lend us use of their shore house. And did you know the ocean is just an hour east of Philly? So cool, I know. I’ll miss that someday.

But we weren’t heading to the Jersey shore. Yep. I had other plans in store for us.

Now don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing inherently wrong with the Jersey shore. I’ve actually grown quite fond of it over the past few years. But it isn’t what I know; it isn’t what we know.  I didn’t grow up vacationing there like so many other Philadelphians did.

I love Cape Cod; we love Cape Cod. It holds a very special place in my heart. And so when our family trip to the Cape got cancelled this summer we were bummed, to say the least. Chris was borderline devastated and it was right then and there I knew I was going to surprise him with a special trip for his birthday, for just the two of us.

And truth be told, I’m actually quite surprised in myself. Not that I pulled off {#duh} – but because I am a terrrrrible liar and an even worse secret holder. Which I think are actually pretty good character traits to have – just not when you are, you know, trying to keep secrets from your spouse.

In order to contain my excitement + anxious nervous ridiculous energy, I literally had to convince myself that the surprise trip wasn’t even happening. Perhaps it was all a fancy daydream of sorts. But as the day of reveal drew closer, I kept my shit together. I don’t know how, but I did it. The night before we left, I shocked him with the surprise and it was a glorious, glorious evening.

We headed to Providence, RI to visit our really great friends Danielle + Ziggy. We drank yummy drinks + picked beautiful cherries and blackberries + mulberries + ate even more amazing food. Side note – Ziggy’s a total Master Pickleteer and owns his very own start-up pickle company called, Fox Point Pickling. And you should totally know about it because it’s awesome + delicious.

The next day we drove to the Cape. Where we spent our days riding bikes, paddle-boarding lakes, swimming in the ocean, flying kites on the sand dunes, rummaging through thrift stores + vintage shops, drinking wine and eating lots of lobsters and mussels and clams while watching the sun set and the supermoon rise.

Life was perfect. One day we plan to live there, we don’t know when or how, but we will and I can’t wait. After a few days in paradise we headed back to Providence, RI where I surprised him {again} with a party full of friends, family, delicious food, loads of beer, an airplane cake, a ton of miniature airplanes and a night of Water Fire celebrations.

A few years ago, Chris traded in his beefy-burgers + french fries for veggie-burgers + kale chips. So it’s only fitting that these hearty BBQ Quinoa Kale + Corn Veggie Burgers with Old Bay Cheddar were inspired by him. We don’t have cheese in our house often, so this is a real treat for us. You can use any cheddar you choose {or forgo the cheese altogether} but this locally-made Old Bay infused Cheddar I got from my CSA – oh my word!!

Lettuce-wrapped BBQ Quinoa Kale + Corn Veggie Burgers with Old Bay Cheddar

Inspired by, How Sweet Eats

Notes: These bad boys take under 30 minutes to prepare + the recipe makes 6 hearty patties. They’re great to make ahead and freeze for later; stack with parchment paper in between each patty. They’re best baked in the oven, but they’re awesome when reheated on the grill. To make this vegan omit the cheese + choose an egg substitute from this list. Store-bought BBQ sauce can be loaded with extra preservatives, dyes + sugars. I recommend making your own or buying Bill’s Best Organic BBQ Sauce.

Burger Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa, I used this Bob’s Red Mill Tri-color Blend
• 2 ears of corn, about 1 cup kernels
• 2 large leafs of lacinato kale, ribs removed
• 1/4 cup chopped red onions
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 farm fresh eggs
• 1/4 cup gluten-free, whole wheat or all-purpose flour, I used Trader Joe’s Gluten-free Blend
• 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce, I used Bill’s Best Organic BBQ Sauce
• generous pinch of sea salt
• coarsely ground pepper, to taste

Burger Accouterments:

• Old Bay infused Cheddar or any cheddar + a few shakes of Old Bay Seasoning will do!!
• a full head of Boston, bibb or green leaf lettuce
• thinly sliced red onion
• extra barbecue sauce
• avocado slices, sprouts, etc.
• ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, etc.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Heat your olive oil over a low flame in a large saute pan. Toss in your finely chopped kale, onions + corn kernels. Season with a pinch of salt and twist of ground pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes over a low-medium flame, stirring occasionally.

In  a large bowl toss the quinoa together with the kale and corn mixture. In a small bowl beat the eggs. Pour the eggs, barbecue sauce and flour into the burger mixture and mix altogether.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the veggie burger mixture into 6 equal parts. It will be very sticky + goopy, don’t let this throw you off. I promise they will come together just perfectly in the oven. Do your best to shape the patties. It might be easier to make a ball, flop it on the sheet and form a patty by gently pressing it with your fingers.

Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and bake for another 5 – 7 minutes or until golden brown on both sides. If you are using cheese, top the burgers with cheese and broil until melty.

To assemble, wrap the burgers in the lettuce + top with all your favorites including more barbecue sauce, mmm that’s kinda the best part.

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This post is in partnership with Philly FoodWorks; all opinions are my own.