When the temperature outside starts to drop, I find myself using my oven and cooking comfort foods a lot more frequently. This was the first week in Massachusetts that really felt cold, raw, and rainy. I love seasonal changes and the different foods that each time of year brings. I feel like nature guides us in choosing what we eat during each season by supplying us with different fruits and vegetables specific to these different time periods. I associate fall with root vegetables--sweet potato, turnip, parsnip, carrots, etc.
I love root vegetables because of how versatile they are. You can bake them, mash them, or make them into fries. You can choose to make them sweet or savory. However you chose to use roots, they always end up hearty and filling. The most common that I use is sweet potato. I love incorporating sweet potato into mexican dishes and the flavor combination that this creates. I decided to substitute some mashed sweet potato for a portion of the beans in an old black bean burger recipe I had. This worked flawlessly and added a boost of vitamins A + C. With the addition of sweet potato, these patties contain vegetables, grains, and protein.
YIELDS
6 sliders
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1 cup sweet potato, mashed
- 1/2 can black beans
- 1/2 cup quinoa or any other grain
- 1/2 cup unflavored breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 2 garlic cloves, diced, mashed and minced well
- 1/4 cup purple onion, diced
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cook quinoa or grains according to package.
3. To mash your sweet potato, you can either bake, broil, or steam it to make it soft. Broiling the sweet potato is my preferred method because of the charred taste it adds. Once mashed, add to a large bowl.
2. Add the quinoa, black beans, bread crumbs, garlic clove, and spices to the sweet potato and mix well.
3. Fold in the cilantro, red bell peppers, and onions.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mold the mix into small patties to make sliders, or larger patties to make regular size burgers. Bake for about an hour and 20 minutes.
5. To serve, top with guacamole and corn salsa*. *To make the simple corn salsa, I mixed equal parts of corn with green onion and tossed this in a little olive oil with salt and pepper.
2. Cook quinoa or grains according to package.
3. To mash your sweet potato, you can either bake, broil, or steam it to make it soft. Broiling the sweet potato is my preferred method because of the charred taste it adds. Once mashed, add to a large bowl.
2. Add the quinoa, black beans, bread crumbs, garlic clove, and spices to the sweet potato and mix well.
3. Fold in the cilantro, red bell peppers, and onions.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mold the mix into small patties to make sliders, or larger patties to make regular size burgers. Bake for about an hour and 20 minutes.
5. To serve, top with guacamole and corn salsa*. *To make the simple corn salsa, I mixed equal parts of corn with green onion and tossed this in a little olive oil with salt and pepper.
Also by Lauren: Strawberry Basil Bruschetta Crostinis
Related: Vegan Tempeh Fish and Chips with Tartar
Vegan Stuffed Portobello Burger
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Photos: Lauren Sacerdote
