Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

I’ve been keeping this delicious recipe a secret from you guys for a while. Just kidding- not so much a secret, more of an “I don’t have time to upload a recipe post and am drowning in school work” type of deal. I actually have quite a few more recipes in my recipe bank that I will be posting over the next few weeks.

I made these black bean burgers when I was home over spring break. I made them for my family and they loved them! We just had one little blunder- we somehow forgot to get needed burger fixin’s such as buns, lettuce, tomato, etc. It is kind of hard for most people to eat burgers without buns, but I’m used to it because of my gluten free diet. I usually don’t buy gluten free buns because they often have egg/dairy in them or are just downright expensive! i would rather have my burger bun-less than a dry, crusty, tasteless bun. For everyone else that is not on a gluten free diet, I recommend a nicer whole grain/whole wheat/ multigrain bun. Ya know, the buns in the nice part of the store?? Not those icky “hamburger buns” for 99 cents (personal preference here- never liked those). But hey- if those are your thing, use those instead!

I got inspired to make these burgers after I baked sweet potatoes the night before and have two left over. I was debating what kind of recipe I should make- sweet potato pancakes, brownies, cake, and muffins all ran through my head, but I settled on a savory dish this time.

I had been wanting to make my own black bean burgers for a while for a few of reasons: 1) it is really hard to find both gluten free and vegan black bean burgers at the normal grocery store 2) whole foods charges a ridiculous amount for some of their specialty veggie burgers 3) I really love mexican inspired dishes. So naturally, I had to come up with a bomb recipe- which I think I did if I do say so myself.

These burgers are low fat (nearly fat free), have lots of fiber, protein, and healthy carbs. They also manage to be only about 150 calories, making them a lighter option compared to traditional burgers. These bad boys will give you lasting energy and keep you full till bedtime (or dinnertime!).

Let’s get into it!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of cooked sweet potato

1 can of rinsed black beans (no sodium added)

1/2 cup cooked quinoa (about 1/4 cup uncooked)

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/3 cup chopped bell pepper (I used red, but any kind would work)

2 tbsp red onion

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup oat flour

2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 chopped jalapeno (about 1/4 cup finely chopped)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

Directions: Bake 2 large/ 3 small-medium sweet potatoes in the oven on 425 for about an hour or until the juice starts to ooze out. You can bake the sweet potatoes the night before, or the day of, but just be aware that it will take about an hour to cook the sweet potato. I do not advise microwaving the sweet potato as that will give it a completely different texture. Baking sweet potatoes is the way to go – in this recipe and all the time.

When you are ready to prepare the burgers, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

After the sweet potato has been baked, taken off the skin and mash it up. Measure 1.5 cups of sweet potato and put it in a bowl. Next, start cooking the quinoa according to the directions on the package (you could also do this ahead of time). While the quinoa is cooking, chop the bell pepper, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and green onion and add them all to the bowl. Then rinse the can of black beans and add them to the bowl as well. Then either add the oat flour to the bowl, or make your own oat flour by grinding up rolled/old fashioned or even quick oats (but not microwaveable packets) in a vitamix/ food processor/ blender.

Add the oat flour to the bowl along with all of the spices (child powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder). Hopefully by now the quinoa is finished being cooked. If the quinoa is done, add 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa to the bowl and mix everything together with a big spoon/ spatula. You can give everything a good mix with your hands as well to make sure everything is well incorporated.

Use your hands to mold the mixture into burger shapes according to your desired size. The best thing about these burgers is that they don’t really shrink it all after cooking (unlike most traditional meat burgers). Place the burgers onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Using parchment paper really helps to get the burgers crispy and prevents them from sticking to the pan. Cook the burgers for about 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside.

Top the burgers with your favorite fixings like avocado, lettuce, salsa, tomato, jalapeño, dairy free cheese/ sour cream (or regular if thats the way you roll), or just eat plain! I liked them plain or topped with salsa and avocado. BUT- if we had lettuce, tomato, and jalapeño, I would have included that as well. Feel free to get creative!

Once again, my amateur iPhone photos (a shattered iPhone at that) do not make for great photos, but I promise these are way better than they look!

Let me know in the comments if you try them!

Also let me know what your favorite store bought vegan-GF veggie burger is! I’m always looking to find new ones!

Do you ever start making a recipe/meal and realize you are missing integral parts of the dish like buns/lettuce, etc.?? Or is it just me??