Hello! I’m Erin, The Emerging Foodie, and I’m so happy to be posting on the lovely Food Faith Fitness today. Isn’t Taylor great? Glad you agree! I’m bringing you a mouth-watering gluten-free, vegan recipe that is sure to please even the pickiest eaters. Like Caleb, Taylor’s husband. Oh, oops. Don’t tell him I said that. 😉
Are you a sweet potato fan? Wonderful, me too. Do you enjoy quinoa? Great, Taylor and I do too! Are you a veggie burger fan? Hey, me too! I’m not a vegetarian but I’m all about the vegetarian options–the veggie-lover in me is loud and proud. Give me anything with veggies and I’m one happy camper. So let me introduce you to flavorful veggie nirvana: sweet potato quinoa veggie burgers. Hello! Mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about them. Chock full of delicious goodness that also happens to be good for you, these deserve a place in veggie burger heaven.
People often think that veggies = bland. Let me dispel that myth for you. These sweet potato quinoa veggie burgers are far from bland. With bursts of flavor from onions, red pepper, garlic, and cumin, these burgers throw a little flavor party in your mouth with every bite. I have to warn you, though, that these are addicting. With each taste, I kept thinking how I just wanted more and more. So you’ve been adequately warned.
But don’t worry if you can’t stop eating them. Because these little guys are health machines. A bunch of veggies + beans + quinoa (a superfood!) + flax (another superfood!) Â equates to pure, utter health food. Low calorie, low fat, gluten free, vegan. But don’t let that scare you away if you aren’t a health nut. They are so delicious you won’t even notice they’re healthy. I promise! All you’ll notice is that you’ve been instantly transported into flavor-town and, once you’re there, you’ll never want to return.
Not only are these tantalizingly tasty, they are also easy peasy. Basically you just have to cook a few veggies, chop up a few more, mash some beans, and cook it all on the stove. No grill necessary. The finished product doesn’t require much work but leaves you with a big dose of flavorful goodness.
An unfortunate thing about a lot of vegetarian dishes is the lack of protein. But you won’t find that here! A whole can of garbanzo beans packs a nice protein punch while lending a tasty, nutty flavor to the mixture. If you’re looking for meat, look the other way. This is not supposed to taste like meat or have the texture of meat. But if you’re looking for delicious, you’ve come to the right place.
Leave behind your fear of vegetarian and embrace the goodness of the veggie burger.
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed sweet potato about 2 medium-large sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp . ground flax + 3 tbsp. water
- 1/4 c . dry quinoa
- 1/2 bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion minced
- 1 c . frozen spinach
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can garbanzo beans rinsed
- 1/4 tsp . salt
- 1/2 tsp . cumin
Instructions
- Wash the sweet potatoes, pierce with a fork, and microwave on your microwave potato setting or bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes. Let cool slightly then rinse under cold water to speed up the cooling. Can place in fridge for several minutes to speed up the process.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the ground flax seed and water in a small bowl. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Whisk again. It should form a paste--this is your flax "egg."
- While sweet potatoes are cooling, chop onion and garlic. Sauté onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Remove and set aside.
- Combine quinoa and 1/2 c. water in a small pot. Bring to boil and let simmer for 15 minutes (give or take) until the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
- Chop red pepper. Thaw frozen spinach in the microwave. Drain thoroughly. Rinse garbanzo beans and mash with a fork in a separate bowl until mushed together. Some pieces of bean remaining are ok.
- Scrape the flesh from the sweet potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Mash with a spoon or masher until smooth. To sweet potatoes, add onion and garlic, red pepper, spinach, quinoa, and garbanzo beans. Mix to combine. Add in "flax egg" and stir. Shape mixture into patties (I did about 10 small patties--make them however large or small you desire) and place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, heat a little bit of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, place burgers in pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes each side or about 5-7 minutes total. Let them get a little charred on the outside to add to the flavor. Serve on buns, english muffins, rice, salad, or whatever suits your veggie burger fancy. Enjoy!
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
Leave a Comment