• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Yield: 8 burger patties

Pan fry, bake or on the grill, these sweet and spicy veggie burgers are both vegan and gluten free. For best results, prepare the burger mixture in advance and let it chill in the refrigerator at least an hour or overnight. Serve as traditional burgers, top a salad or use as a crumble for tacos!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (smaller potatoes cook faster)
• ⅓ cup uncooked millet or quinoa (or 1 cup cooked)
• 1 cup old fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats if you are avoiding gluten)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups cooked black beans)
• ½ small red onion, diced
• ½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or smoked hot paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne powder (optional, to taste)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Grapeseed oil for cooking burgers (or coconut oil, if you don’t mind the coconut taste, olive oil may burn)
• 8 whole wheat hamburger buns (optional)
• your favorite burger fixings (avocado or guacamole, tomato or salsa, lettuce, sprouts, ketchup, hot sauce, mustard, pickles, cheese)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the sweet potatoes down the center lengthwise. Place the sweet potatoes cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until they yield to a gentle squeeze, 30 to 40 minutes or longer. Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin (it should pull off easily) and roughly chop the insides. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Cook the millet: In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to boil. Stir in the millet, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender (about 25 minutes). Drain off any remaining liquid and set aside to cool. OR cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander, then combine with ⅔ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to boil, then cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and let the quinoa steam with the lid on for 5 minutes. Then drain off any excess water and set aside to cool.
3. Grind the oats: Use a food processor or blender to grind the oats until the flakes are broken up, but not as fine as flour.
4. Mix the burgers: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled sweet potatoes and millet or quinoa, black beans, onion, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, chipotle or paprika, cayenne (optional, add to taste for spicier burgers) and salt. Use a potato masher, big mixing spoon or the paddle attachment of your mixer to mix really well. It’s ok if the black beans get smashed in the process.
5. Mix in the oats: Sprinkle the ground oats over the mixture and mix well with a big spoon until the mixture holds together when you shape a portion into a patty. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour for best results (the patties will hold together better during cooking if they are chilled first).
6. Shape the burgers: Measure out ½ cup of the mixture and shape into a patties about 3 ½ inches in diameter, smoothing the edges. Repeat the process for each patty; you should end up with 8. If you would like to toast your hamburger buns, preheat the oven to 350 degrees now.
7. Pan fry the burgers: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, place several burgers in the pan, leaving enough room to flip them. Cook each patty until browned and heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet for each pan of burgers you fry.
8. Toast the buns (optional): Place the buns on a baking sheet, cut sides up, and bake until lightly toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

OPTIONS

BAKED BURGERS: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the patties liberally with extra-virgin olive oil, then place them on the baking sheet and bake until the patties are deeply golden on the outside, about 35 minutes, flipping halfway.

TACO CRUMBLES: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the mixture on the baking sheet in a thin layer and bake until lightly golden on the top. Using a spatula, flip the mixture and start breaking it up in smaller pieces and bake until golden. Keep an eye on it so you don’t overbake and have it too crunchy…unless you like it that way!

FREEZER STORAGE: Cooked burgers freeze well in a sealed freezer bag separated by parchment paper. Freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet and then transfer to the freezer bag. To defrost, thaw in a 400-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until warmed through.

Adapted from Cookie and Kate and Cafe Flora