Southwest Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

It’s Labor Day weekend and though it feels like 100 degrees, I’m in the mood for the flavors of fall chili. So what’s a girl to do? She makes a black bean burger with all of the fixins! And it has that same taste with chili powder, cumin, chipotles and, surprise!…sweet potato.

Veggie burgers can be made with just about any vegetable, bean or grain.  You just have to find the right combination so you don’t have a mushy burger or one that is too dry.

Most burgers are made with a dry component or grain (think brown rice or quinoa) along with some type of bean.  I really like the combination of sweet potato with black beans. The stickiness of the sweet potato helps as a binder.  Since I didn’t have quinoa or rice on hand, I decided to do a combination of bread crumbs and ground oats. You need a good amount of grains since beans and sweet potato are both very moist ingredients.

Tip: It’s good to let the mixture sit for awhile on the counter top or in the fridge for an hour or two. I noticed after cooking my burgers and putting the leftovers in the fridge, they were much more dense on the inside and not as soft.

Recipe: Makes 5 to 6 burgers

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium sweet potato, baked and cooled

1 tablespoon of chipotle sauce

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 cup of salsa (Optional)

1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs**See Notes

1/2 cup of oats**See Notes

Put drained and rinsed beans in a medium sized bowl.  Remove skin from sweet potato and add to beans along with the next five ingredients and mix well.

In a food processor pulse oats until they are lightly mixed. Add to the bean mixture along with the panko. Mix well.  If the mixture is too sticky, add more dry ingredients.

Chill mixture in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Shape into 5-6 patties.  Spray a little olive oil into a frying pan and cook on medium heat about 5 minutes on each side until browned.

Top with cheese, avacado, jalapeños and your favorite condiment.

**You can use 1 cup of brown rice or quinoa in place of the oats and bread crumbs.  Start with a half cup and add more as needed to get a “patty” consistency.

Below: Bean burgers become the base for these yummy healthy nachos with light cheese and corn salsa.