the best veggie burger...

This is a nutrition-packed veggie burger that even omnivores love! As someone who doesn't like the flavor or texture of vegan "meats," I was constantly on the lookout for the perfect vegan burger, one that we could eat and enjoy together. I found various sweet potato and black bean burger recipes and decided to invent my own version based on our favored ingredients. This past week, I introduced them at the dining hall where I work as a chef, and I think they may be a new favorite!

Black Bean-Sweet Potato-Quinoa Burgers serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 small organic sweet potato

½ cup fairly-traded quinoa

1 (15 ounce) can or 1 lb of cooked organic black beans, drained

1 cup organic old fashioned oats

2 teaspoons cumin powder

1 ½ teaspoons mild chili powder

½ teaspoon of The Spice Hunter's Mexican Seasoning

dash of cinnamon

Juice of ½ lemon

1 ½ teaspoons Real Salt

2 organic green onions

½ cup organic cilantro leaves

1 clove garlic

1 Tablespoon grape seed oil

Process:

1. Rinse and cut the sweet potato into three or four round pieces. Boil in a medium saucepan for 10 minutes, until soft. Rinse with cold water, drain, and then slice into small pieces. An inch by an inch is a good size, but if precision isn't your specialty, then just mashing them also works well!

2. Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve with cold water. Combine with 1 cup of filtered water and ½ teaspoon of Real Salt and boil on medium heat until tender and the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid a charred flavor!

3. Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine. Combine in a bowl with seasonings and mix until well combined. 

4. Finely chop peeled garlic, green onion, and cilantro. Add to oat and spice mixture. Mix in mashed sweet potatoes and quinoa and then add black beans. Stir well.

5. Refrigerate until ready to use. Shape mixture into 4” patties, about ½ cup each, and fry in a cast iron skillet or frying pan with grape seed oil for 3-4 minutes on each side. Enjoy! J 

Special note for gluten-free friends: these burgers are gluten-free! The only thing to check are the oats--if you or a loved one have a serious intolerance, check to make sure they haven't been processed in the same facility as wheat. The burger pictured here is topped with a special sauce (Vegenaise, Red Hot, and smoked paprika), parsley, and shredded carrot-daikon salad. Yum! 

twice baked sweet potato skins

A few weeks ago, I ran across a recipe for twice baked sweet potato skins. Since Beth LOVES eating the skins when we have baked potatoes, I figured she was also a fan of twice baked potatoes and loaded potato skins. Needless to say, I was shocked to find out that she had never had them before! With this recipe, we changed that. Better late than never.

These guys are easily adaptable for vegan and gluten-free diets, so you can enjoy them by yourself or with any and ALL of your friends! The recipe is super flexible and more of a general guide, so make however many you’d like with whichever toppings you prefer. We made two varieties, one sweet and one savory. The sky is the limit, though, and we would love to hear about other toppings you try!

 

Ingredients:

Small sweet potatoes (1-2 per person; choose wisely since you’ll be eating the skin)
Coconut oil or butter

Sweet Topping Suggestions:
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar
Chopped walnuts
Salt, if desired (we LOVED ours with some salt!)

Savory Topping Suggestions:
Shredded cheddar cheese or your choice of vegan cheddar “cheese”
Steamed broccoli florets
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry sweet potatoes. If desired, coat the potato skin in oil and salt. Place on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
2. Remove from oven, cool until they are cool to the touch, then cut in half. Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potatoes and place in a mixing bowl, leaving a thin layer of sweet potato still in the skin.
3. Oil the sweet potato skin “boat” with either coconut oil or butter (I prefer coconut oil to butter in the sweet version, even though I am not vegan myself!) and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
4. While the skins are baking, combine the sweet potato flesh with your desired toppings.
5. Divide mixture equally and place in sweet potato “boats,” adding additional toppings if desired.
6. Bake skins for an additional five minutes to warm (and melt cheese, if necessary) before serving. Enjoy!