POSTED BY KATHY ON 2/21/2012
Crave a veggie burger. One with Panko-crusted edges - infused with tender sweet potato and creamy, rustic white beans. Tall stacked on a toasted grain bun - crisp romaine leaves sprawling out the sides. Lime green avocado. Dijon. Pepper. Zesty onion.
These Sweet Potato Tahini Bean Burgers are super easy to make. Satisfy your burger craving in a flash. And while you are stacking toppings, humming happy burger-eating music, sipping lemonade, ginger ale or iced tea, crunching baked french fries, tater tots or chips - basically feasting however you like - you can laugh at anyone who thinks a "real" burger can't be vegan.
Valentine's Day came and went just as it usually does. A nice meal, warm fuzzy feelings, flowers and chocolate. For our VDay meal we dined out at Real Food Daily in Santa Monica. They had a special menu that I simply couldn't pass up. Everything was delish. But the highlight of the meal for me: plump little balls of "goat cheese" - vegan of course...
"A salad of baby greens, roasted baby beets, tangerines, smoked almond crusted ‘goat cheese’ flirting with a creamy shallot dressing" -RFD menu
They were 'almond crusted' a slight smokiness to them. They were perched atop a light green salad. Some beets on the side and shallot dressing. When you smashed the side of your fork into these balls they burst open to reveal a tender silky interior. They were amazing. I need the recipe!
How was your VDay? Any disasters or wonderful moments to report?
And those tender crispy balls from RFD really inspired me to post one of my favorite easy veggie burger recipes.
So today, I woke up. Munched some blueberries. Played with the cat. And worked on this post as drizzly raindrops poured outside my window. Blustery trees swaying all morning and well into the evening.
Easy Burger. You simply take a baked sweet potato, some soft canned beans (I used cannellini white beans) add in a few accents, mash, saute and serve. You can also bake for a healthier preparation. And you could add in other whole food ingredients too like brown rice, finely chopped apple, hemp seeds - whatever! The sweet potato is such a nice binder - you can really get creative if you choose.
I pan-fry. More of a saute really. I use just a splash of safflower oil.
And I don't think I have to remind you how incredibly healthy sweet potatoes and beans are. Filled with good stuff. Vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein. Dig in.
The Patty. I was still feeling Valentine's Day-y..
I served the patties with tender sliced avocado, a crisp bed of romaine lettuce, a circle of onion, some Dijon mustard and some pepper and olive oil over top.
Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
makes 7-8 large patties
2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning OR Cajun seasoning (or another fave spice!)
1/4 cup wheat flour
optional: additional seasoning (whatever you have on hand - I used a few dashes cayenne, black pepper and a scoop of nutritional yeast)
salt to taste if needed
plentiful Panko crumbs
safflower oil for pan
burgers: avocado, Dijon mustard, grain buns, romaine, onion, olive oil, pepper
Directions:
1. Bake sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on toasted bun with lotsa toppings.
Note: yes this patty does fall kind of apart as you eat it. But that is OK because it tastes yummy.
My Book! If you loved that recipe, please check out my book / wellness guide "365 Vegan Smoothies" from Penguin / Avery - details here.
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