Southwestern Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger

Recipe by: Killing Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 cup black beans

• 2 cups mashed sweet potato, approx. 2 sweet potatoes

• 1 cup cooked quinoa

• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, ground or finely chopped

• 1/2 cup red onion, diced

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp garlic salt

• Cracked black pepper, to taste

Toppings (optional)

• Lettuce

• Tomato

• Onion

• Avocado

• Fried egg

• Bbq sauce

Preparation

Sweet Potatoes:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Place the potatoes face down and bake them until they're tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. This should take about 30 minutes. (You can cook quinoa in the meantime.) When done, set aside. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F.

Quinoa:

Bring 2 cups of water (or, I like to use vegetable broth for extra flavor) and quinoa to a simmer. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes or until you can fluff the quinoa with a fork. When done, set aside.

Burger Patties:

Add black beans to a large bowl and mash half of them; leave some whole for texture. Add the sweet potato and lightly mash. Finally, add the quinoa, red onion, nut meal/chopped nuts, and spices. Mix/fold until cohesive. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. If the mixture feels too wet and isn't good to work with, add more quinoa or nut meal. The mixture should be moist, but easy to shape and mold.

• Lightly grease a baking sheet. Line a 1/4 cup measuring cup with plastic wrap. Scoop the burger mixture into the lined measuring cup and press down to secure. Then, carefully flip it over into the baking sheet. Move the 1/4 cup away and, with a spatula, lightly press down on the patty over the plastic (so your spatula doesn't stick to the patty) to slightly flatten it. Remove the plastic wrap, place it back into the 1/4 cup, and repeat this until you're out of burger mix.

• Bake the burgers for approx. 30 minutes. After the 30 minute mark, carefully flip them over and bake them for another 10 minutes. The longer you bake them, the firmer and drier the patties will get. 40 minutes total worked for me.

• When done, serve the burgers on fresh buns and top with your favorite toppings.