Weekly Recipe: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers

Don't let the title deceive you, these burgers are mighty tasty.  Now it's doubtful you could pull them off as traditional meat-based burgers, but even a meat-lover like my husband found these very good.  

I always hold my breath when I serve a vegetarian meal as Wes tastes his first bite.  I try not to make it obvious that I am seeking his approval by not staring at him, but I'm definitely watching his every expression.  He's either getting used to my non-meat selections or he genuinely likes them because more often than not, he deems the dish to be (surprisingly) "really good."  

These burgers definitely benefit from being made ahead and given time to meld together in the fridge.  I actually prepped them the night before and covered the entire baking sheet with cling wrap.  Then when I came home from work, I just set them out on the counter while the oven warmed up and then stuck them in.  I flipped them halfway through the cooking time to allow both sides to get a little crunch around the edges.  

Sawyer scarfed them down and Colin is still into deconstructing his food and didn't appreciate everything being smushed together.  He reluctantly ate them despite this blatant oversight on my part.

Just look at all that wholesome goodness!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers

by:  Ashley at the Edible Perspective

• 15oz black beans, drained + rinsed
• 3c cubed sweet tater, cooked + skin on [~1.5lbs]
• 1/2c frozen or fresh corn
• 2/3c finely chopped onion [1/2 medium onion]
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2c cooked quinoa
• 6T rolled oats, partially ground
• 2T sunflower seeds
• 1/2t salt
• black pepper
• 1t cumin
• 1t oregano
• 1/4t coriander
• 1t chili powder
• 1/4t cayenne [optional]
• 1T olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 375 once you finish cooking the quinoa + potato.
2. Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.
3. Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.
4. In a large bowl, mash the sweet tater.  Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy.
5. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne [if using] and olive oil, until combined.
6. Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and ground oats, until just combined.
7. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
8. Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.
9. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through.  Remove from oven + serve! 

**Linking up to A Little Nosh's Tastetastic Thursday!