Sweet Potato, BBQ Black Bean & Kale Burgers

Today on Produce On Parade, we're shaking things up a bit! Todd is the very generous photographer for this post (excluding the final burger photos).  Woot, woot! It's always a good time in the kitchen when I have a helper on hand! Thanks, Todd, my love!  

I really adore veggie burgers. Homemade ones though. The store bought kind definitely pale in comparison with regards to flavor and nutrition, and they're definitely way, way more expensive than just makin' them yourself. Plus, you get to control what goes into them and the variations are endless! It really is a win, win, win...win! They might take a little longer than just buying them, but I assure you it's worth the little extra effort. Also, you can use up some veggies you need to get rid of!

There's always a bin of homemade vegan burgers in our freezer.  I like to bake mine, that way I can get them all done at once as opposed to frying them in batches, plus it's a bit healthier as well. I let them cool, then store them in an airtight container in the freezer. They're great if you're in a time-pinch or just don't feel like cooking. Microwave them for a minute or two, then just throw them on a salad (like me!) or on a burger and you're hot to tot!

And just incase you can't get enough veg burgers, there are photo links to many more at the bottom of this post! Huzzah!

“For what sort of dinner is not costly, for which a living creature loses its life?”

— Plutarch

Sweet Potato, BBQ Black Bean & Kale Burgers

These roasted vegan burgers are a snap to whip together and bake up quick in the oven for very tasty and healthy burgers that you can freeze for quick eats later. Adapted from "Let Them Eat Kale" by Julia Mueller.

Yield: 15 burgers

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 cups), diced
• drizzle of olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp. cold water
• 1 cup dry quick rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. chipotle chili powder (optional)
• ¼ tsp. ground turmeric
• dash of ground black pepper
• 2 14 oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ red onion, diced
• 4 large kale leaves and stems, chopped finely
• 3 Tbsp. vegan barbecue sauce

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash and dice the sweet potatoes. Spread them on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 F for 25 minutes, until fork tender. Keep the oven on when they are finished roasting.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the flaxseed and water together. Set in fridge to rest until ready to use.
3. In a food processor, process the oats until they are fine. Add in the spices and pulse to combine. Now, add the black beans and process until semi-chopped.
4. Transfer the mixture to a large electric mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients, including the flax egg and the sweet potatoes, when done baking. Mix until the sweet potatoes are mashed and the mixture is well combined.
5. On the same oiled baking sheet used for the sweet potatoes, drop the burgers to bake. Form them as you’d like them to be when they are done baking as they will not change shape. The mixture should be enough for at least 15 burgers.
6. Bake at 400 F for about 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. The bottom should be browned nicely. Serve hot with a bun and BBQ sauce, or over a salad like me!

We finally got some snow over the weekend! Bob loves the snow. Just like his momma. 

Can't get enough vegan burgers? I got more for ya' right here! No worries!

Dutch Word of The Day

Citizen --> burger (Yep, the word for citizen is burger in Dutch, while an actual food burger is just...hamburger...)

Good Deed of The Day

Um, this is terrifying. Women who have used the pill have a 40% increased risk for brain cancer and the risk increases the longer it's used. Oh goody. Read up on it here. Yikes! What's a girl to do?

Chipotle Maple Sweet Potato Burgers

These are my new favorite burgers.

They are absolutely amazing. Perfect texture? Check. Sweet and spicy? Check. Super healthy? Check. I know there are a scrillion-bajillion sweet potato burger recipes out there, however, with buddies like maple, chipotle, pecans, and oats these guys are truly unique. An epic fall flavor combination, if I do say so myself. 

You'll see a departure from my usual photography in future posts. During Alaskan winters it gets dark at about 4 pm. Thus, dusty artificial lights and lamps are summoned from the closet, hiding from the midnight sun of the summer.

It's kind of fun to play around with lighting. I'm not terribly experienced with lights, but luckily Todd is very fluent in these things. He helped me capture the spotlight effect for these photographs. I hope you enjoy the seasonal style! 

“It is better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.”

— Diane Grant

These perfectly textured vegan, sweet potato burgers have a hint of maple sweetness and a smoky chipotle kick.

Taking advantage of the last bit of sun!

print recipe

Chipotle Maple Sweet Potato Burgers

by Katie @ Produce On Parade October-15-2014

These perfectly textured vegan, sweet potato burgers have a hint of maple sweetness and a smoky chipotle kick.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1lb. 10 oz.), diced small
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 ½ cups quick cooking oats, dry
• ¼ cup pecans, minced
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. chipotle chili powder
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 8 hamburger buns

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, add the diced sweet potatoes and cover with water. Add a dash of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until very tender. Drain and set aside for later.In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the onions are brown and fragrant. In a large bowl, add the oats, through and including the pepper. Whisk well to combine. Add the boiled sweet potatoes and the onion mixture as well as the maple syrup. Using a wooden spoon, mash the sweet potatoes and mix everything together very well. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat your hands with a nonstick cooking spray and form the burger mix into eight large patties. Arrange on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400 F for about 45 minutes, turning the patties over halfway through. Once done, remove from oven and allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes. This will set the patties. Serve hot, with BBQ sauce! Freeze the leftovers for a quick meal later.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 8 burgers

Dutch Word of The Day

Maple --> esdoorn (es-doren)

Good Deed of The Day

Perdue has been forced to remove "humanely raised" labels from it's packaged chicken flesh. "..undercover investigations have shown that Perdue's chickens are raised in a space the size of a sheet of paper, crammed with others so tightly that they suffer broken bones that go untreated, and are placed in sheds that reek of ammonia." Who would support such atrocities? It's really mind-boggling. Read more about it here. 

Sweet Potato & Chickpea Burgers

Hallelujah, we are back! Transferring domains was rough stuff. Who knew it took 5-7 days by law. Whatever, it's in the past and I am so, so glad it's all behind me now (fingers crossed). I love my new home here at Squarespace! Let me know how you guys like the setup. Do you like the photo slider or no? I'd love to hear feedback! 

And now, it's time for a bean recipe! As you know, it's my life's mission to incorporate more beans into my life...and what a way to do it. With a burger! A veggie burger that is. Oh yes, my friends. 

I've been on a real burger kick lately. It's funny because I was never really into burgers before becoming vegan. I have a sneaking suspicion why though...methinks 'twas the decaying animal flesh. Hey, don't kill the messenger...that is what it is...

Anyway, you have nothing to fear my animal-loving compadres. My burgers are 100% vegan! These sweet potato, chickpea, and white bean veggie burgers brown up perfectly on the stove and are ready in a pinch! Filled with nutritious (and delicious) veggies, oats, herbs, and spices...what's to shy away from? Take a break from the bun-animal-bun combo and go with bun-veggie-bun instead! Also, freeze any leftovers for use later as a quick and nutritious meal! I love having them on hand. 

Sweet Potato & Chickpea Burgers

Makes about 12 burgers

• Flax Eggs:
• 3 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup cold water
• Veggies:
• 1 large sweet potato, sliced and steamed
• 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz. can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• Aromatics:
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground paprika
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper
• Conclusion:
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats, dry
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 12 hamburger buns

Notes: If you have a large food processor (10 cup or larger), you might be able to fit all the ingredients into the bowl at once to process. I had to do mine in batches of different ingredients. I cooked up 12 patties and froze the leftovers in saran-wrap separately, then in a large plastic ziplock bag for later! These burgers probably do best on the stovetop as opposed to grilling. Adapted from Peas And Crayons.

Start by whisking the ground flax seed and the water together in a small bowl. Place in the fridge until ready for use. 

Steam the sliced sweet potato for about 10 minutes, until fork tender. Remove and set aside. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and white beans and set aside. 

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-low. Add the aromatic ingredients and saute until fragrant and the bell pepper is browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a food processor pulse the dry oats until they are a bit finer in consistency. They don't need to be ground to a flour though. Transfer to a very large bowl. 

Now, pulse the chickpeas and white beans until they are mashed, scraping down the sides as necessary. They don't need to be perfectly processed.

When the aromatics are done sauteing, add them to the processor along with the sweet potatoes and pulse as well. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the oats. 

Add the flax egg and the fresh parsley to the bowl and mix very well, with exceptionally clean hands. It's really the only way to do it. Place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes. 

After the mixture has rested, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in the large frying pan over medium. Form a veggie patty with your hands that's about the size of your palm. These won't shrink at all when cooked so form them exactly as you'd like them to be on your burger. Cook about 3 minutes on each side and repeat with remaining patties. 

Serve hot on a hamburger bun with BBQ sauce or ketchup and arugula or spinach.

Cook as many as you'd like to fit in one pan. My pan held four at a time. I cooked the leftover patties and then froze them to use later!

"Mom! Dad! I will do ANYTHING for one of those burgers!!"

German Word of The Day

Concert --> Konzert (pronounced: con-zairt) - Go figure! Germans spell things to neatly. 

Good Deed of The Day:

I know this is kind of a different action to have today, but my hope is that it brings awareness of the living conditions to meat-eaters. The fact that most animals need to be pumped full of antibiotics to even live and make it your a plate I hope be a little more noticeable when it's stamped on the goddamn package. Who knows. Maybe we'll all choose to not eat meat at all! We certainly don't need it! Sign this petition to have the USDA label animal flesh that has been treated with antibiotics.