Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Corn & Quinoa Patties (or Burgers)

I made these delicious sweet potato, black bean, corn, and quinoa patties a couple weekends ago when Greg & I invited some friends to our house for dinner. I made these veggie burgers for myself, because although I love this turkey burger, I have been trying to cut down on meat lately. So I made the turkey burgers for the men and the sweet potato, black bean, corn & quinoa ones just for me! At dinner, Greg tried one of the non-meat burgers and he really liked them - he even went back for seconds. One of our friends said he absolutely hated veggie burgers and that he has never had one he has liked. He hesitantly tried one, and he was pleasantly surprised - he said "wow, these are actually pretty good!" They are pretty darn good. Our other friend said he would definitely choose to eat them if he were craving healthy, since they are filled with super foods like sweet potato and quinoa. The patties/burgers go really well with chips and salsa. If you are not a fan of the veggie burger, I think you may be pleasantly surprised by these sweet potato, black bean, corn & quinoa burgers. And if you are a fan of the veggie burger, I know you will absolutely love them! Enjoy.

Recipe for Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Corn & Quinoa Patties (or Burgers)

INGREDIENTS:
1 rather large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, cut in half and then lengthwise
1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained very well
1/2 cup of fresh corn kernels (from one ear of corn)
1 Tbsp. of super salsa that has been strained of all liquid

2 1/2 tsp. of cumin powder
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp. of lime zest
1/4 cup of cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp. of toasted pumpkin seeds
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
1/8 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1 cup of finely crushed salted tortilla chips
Baking spray
Freshly squeezed lime juice

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the sweet potato pieces skin side up on a baking sheet and cook for 25 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven, prick with a fork to make sure they have softened, then transfer to a plate to cool.

While the potato is cooling, cook the quinoa according to package directions. Then remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Once the sweet potato has cooled, peel and discard the skins of the potato and place the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add in the drained black beans, corn, salsa, cumin powder, garlic, lime zest, cooked quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper. Use a potato masher to mash all the ingredients together until they are well incorporated. Add in the crushed tortilla chips and use a spoon to mix. Cover the bowl and put it into the fridge for about an hour, a little more if possible.

Use your hands to form the mixture into about 10 patties. Place the patties on a lightly oiled baking sheet and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Take out of the fridge and squeeze a little bit of lime juice over each one.

Heat an electric skillet to 350 - 400 degrees. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray the skillet with baking spray and also spray a couple of the patties with a little baking spray. Place the patties spray side down onto the hot skillet and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Spray the tops of the patties that are cooking with a little baking spray, flip over, and allow to cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. Then transfer the patties to another baking pan that is lightly oiled and continue cooking the rest of the patties on the electric skillet. Once all the patties have cooked on the skillet and they are on the baking sheet, transfer to the oven to allow them to get a little more crispy. Cook 8 - 10 minutes per side, remove from oven, and serve.

Assemble burgers. Put one patty on a toasted bun, top with pepper jack cheese, avocado slices, sliced tomato, sour cream, and super salsa. Or serve without a bun and dip it in some mashed avocado, super salsa, and sour cream. Either way, make sure to serve it with some chips & salsa on the side. Yum!

Recipe Adapted from Cookie and Kate & The Fig Tree Blog