Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

My friend Tiffiny sent me this recipe, which she found at The Joy of Eating clean.  I believe they are a MUST TRY.  Especially when summer comes and all of the BYOM invites go out.  

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 ounces) no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups cubed sweet potatoes, peeled (about 3 regular sized potatoes)
• 3/4 cup sweet corn, frozen or fresh (thawed if frozen, fresh grilled corn would be excellent in this dish)
• 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tbsp Garlic Gold Oil or olive oil
• heaping 1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour (you can also use finely ground rolled oats or almond flour)
• 2 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• fresh black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 1 tbsp hot sauce (optional – Tabasco Garlic Pepper Sauce works great in these burgers)

Preparation:

1. Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil on the stove.  Add the sweet potatoes and lower the heat to simmering.  Let the potatoes cook for about 20-30 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool.  (You can also use a steamer bag and cook the potatoes in the microwave.)
2. While your potatoes are cooling preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick foil.
3. Once your potatoes have cooled use a fork to mash them.  You want them mashed but not creamy.
4. In a large mixing bowl add half of the black beans and mash them with a fork.
   

   Add the rest of the beans and the remaining ingredients
5. Add the rest of the beans and the remaining ingredients.  Stir until just combined.
6. Form the mixture into 10 balls.  Each burger should be about 1/2″ thick.
   

   Place each patty on your prepared baking sheet
7. Place each patty on your prepared baking sheet and place in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping the burgers over once halfway through baking.
8. Remove from the oven and serve!

Nutritional Info:

Makes 10 burgers.

Serving size 1 burger.

Nutrients per serving:  Calories: 132.5, Cal. from Fat: 28.5, Total Fat: 3g, Sat. Fat: 0g, Carbs: 21.5g, Fiber: 4.5g, Sugars: 2.5g, Protein: 5g, Sodium: 30.1mg, Chol: 0mg

Notes:

These burgers save really well.  Make sure you let them cool completely before storing.  Place them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.  You can also store them in freezer safe bags in the freezer for up to 6 months.  To reheat simply place on a baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees until warmed all the way through.

You can pan fry these burgers if you wish.  I think they taste like hash browns this way!  Heat a pan to medium heat and add a tbsp or so of oil.  Cook on each side for about 5 minutes each or until golden brown.

To grill the burgers, bake in the oven for 10 minutes on each side.  Remove the burger from the oven and place on a preheated grill (make sure to grease your grill properly).  Grill each side for about 3 minutes.