I have a family of picky eaters. They are not only picky but VERY suspicious of new things. I made these burgers a few months ago and they all liked them. Recently I made them again. Normally I’m pretty much left alone in the kitchen but this last time everyone was around and when I got out the standard orange sweet potatoes I got “the look” from each of them. You know the “the look”. It’s the I-don’t-eat-weird-colored-foods-and-even-if-it-tastes-good-I’m-going-to-pretend-I-don’t-like-it look. And of course once dinner was prepared everyone complained that they didn’t like the burgers. My husband even commented that I should just use regular potatoes instead of the yucky sweet potatoes.

Did you know that sweet potatoes come in 2 different varieties. The white sweet potato looks just like it’s orange counterparts on the outside but inside it looks like a regular white potato. Aside from the lack of beta carotene, the white sweet potato is pretty much identical to the orange variety. Anyone see where I’m going with this?

Last week I again made these sweet potato quinoa burgers. I made sure everyone was around when I got out the sweet potato and mashed it up. My husband even came up and gave me a kiss as I was cooking and thanked me for using ‘regular potatoes’. I just smiled.

Believe it or not everyone loved the burgers again! It’s a miracle I tell ya! True story folks. Sad but true.

Sarah

Ingredients:

1 can (15 ounces) no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups cubed sweet potatoes, peeled (about 3 regular sized potatoes)
3/4 cup sweet corn, frozen or fresh (thawed if frozen, fresh grilled corn would be excellent in this dish)
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 tbsp Garlic Gold Oil or olive oil
heaping 1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour (you can also use finely ground rolled oats or almond flour)
2 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp sea salt
fresh black pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
1 tbsp hot sauce (optional – Tabasco Garlic Pepper Sauce works great in these burgers)

Preparation:

Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil on the stove. Add the sweet potatoes and lower the heat to simmering. Let the potatoes cook for about 20-30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool. (You can also use a steamer bag and cook the potatoes in the microwave.)
While your potatoes are cooling preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick foil.
Once your potatoes have cooled use a fork to mash them. You want them mashed but not creamy.
In a large mixing bowl add half of the black beans and mash them with a fork.

Add the rest of the beans and the remaining ingredients
Add the rest of the beans and the remaining ingredients. Stir until just combined.
Form the mixture into 10 balls. Flatten and shape each ball into a disc. Each burger should be about 1/2″ thick.

Place each patty on your prepared baking sheet
Place each patty on your prepared baking sheet and place in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping the burgers over once halfway through baking.
Remove from the oven and serve!

Nutritional Info:

Makes 10 burgers.

Serving size 1 burger.

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 132.5, Cal. from Fat: 28.5, Total Fat: 3g, Sat. Fat: 0g, Carbs: 21.5g, Fiber: 4.5g, Sugars: 2.5g, Protein: 5g, Sodium: 30.1mg, Chol: 0mg

Notes:

These burgers save really well. Make sure you let them cool completely before storing. Place them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store them in freezer safe bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat simply place on a baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees until warmed all the way through.

You can pan fry these burgers if you wish. I think they taste like hash browns this way! Heat a pan to medium heat and add a tbsp or so of oil. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes each or until golden brown.

To grill the burgers, bake in the oven for 10 minutes on each side. Remove the burger from the oven and place on a preheated grill (make sure to grease your grill properly). Grill each side for about 3 minutes.