Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers

In an effort to eat healthier and save some money, we’ve been cutting back on the amount of meat that we eat. Summer may be winding to a close, but over the past few months I was experimenting with a few summer vegetarian dishes. One of them that I tried a few different ways was a “veggie burger”. I went through a vegetarian phase in my teens that ended very abruptly when my mother bought me some veggie burgers trying to accommodate me. I ran back to a beef burger quicker than you could say “mmmm beef”! After a number of hit and misses, I found this awesome recipe! It was delicious, but I just made a few tweaks for personal preference. Here is how I like it:

Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers

2 cans Chickpeas

2 cups Sweet Potatos – steamed and peeled

2 Tbsp Tahini

¼ cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1 Tsp Chipotle Chili Pepper

1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

Lots of Panko Crumbs

After steaming and peeling the potato(s), throw all the ingredients – MINUS PANKO – into a blender and pulse to mix. Don’t blend so much that its too creamy, just enough to be mixed. If it gets too thin, add more flour. It will be soft and sticky, but should be solid enough to form a patty. After patty is formed, dredge through a bowl of panko crumbs to coat.

At this point you can either freeze, or cook. If freezing, lay on a cookie sheet uncovered in freezer for a few hours to firm before wrapping in waxed paper and storing in ziploc bags. To cook, either from fresh or frozen, heat up olive oil in a frying pan and cook until crispy on the outside and heated through on the inside. You can also bake in the oven, but this isn’t the best option if cooking from frozen as sometimes the panko can go soft.

The original recipe called for a bun, but I prefer it just with some avodaco as a garnish. If I’m being really decedent I’ll add some home mixed chipotle mayo 🙂

Enjoy!

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