Hello everyone! How was your weekend? Mine was good but far too fast. As always.

I thought I’d pop in on this Meat Free Monday and share an awesome recipe with you all. It is vegan and packed with great flavor, veggies, protein, and fiber. That being said, I so wish I could call it my own, but I can’t! 😉 I actually found it on Pinterest and will share with you my slightly adjusted recipe. It’s a keeper, for sure!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers (E, N, D?, GF)
makes about 10 burgers
very slightly adapted from Peaches & Cake’s recipe

Ingredients:

– 3 small sweet potatoes
– 1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
– 2/3 cup sweet onion, diced
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– ½ cup slightly undercooked quinoa (1/4 cup dry)
– generous 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, finely ground in a food processor, or panko breadcrumbs (not GF)
– 1/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, optional
– 1 Tbsp. olive oil
– ¼ tsp. sea salt
– pepper, to taste
– 3/4 tsp. cumin
– 3/4 tsp. dried oregano
– 1 tsp. chili powder
– 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Poke the sweet potatoes with a fork and cook them in a microwave-safe bowl for about 7 minutes, or until they’re tender. Set them aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, mash half of the black beans using a fork. Scoop the insides of the potatoes out into the bowl and mash. Stir in the rest of the black beans.
4. Add the remaining ingredients. Be sure to stir and incorporate everything well, especially the spices!
5. Using your hands (or a medium-sized ice cream scoop, as I did!), form the mixture into about 10 patties. Place them on the prepared baking sheet(s), and bake for about 30 minutes. Flip the burgers over halfway through the baking process.
6. Remove from the oven. If you’re eating these immediately, top with whatever burger toppings you like, and enjoy! If you’re planning on freezing the burgers, allow them to cool completely on a wire rack once out of the oven. Place them in a freezer-safe bag between layers of wax paper.
7. To reheat, place the burgers in a 350*F oven and cook until warmed through, or heat in the microwave for about 35 seconds.

Notes:
– I thought the original recipe was brilliant, but the next time I make this I will add a flax egg, because I noticed that the burgers did not stay together too well. That wasn’t a huge problem, though, as they still tasted delicious!

I’ve found that the burgers are perfectly good on their own, but I especially love them with a bit of ketchup on top. 🙂

Happy MFM, everyone! Have a great day!