Sweet Potato + Black Bean Burgers

Lately, I’ve been finding it difficult to find satisfying plant-based meals. Winter on the East Coast is hitting pretty dang hard and fresh vegetables have been hard to come by. So, I’ve been playing around in the kitchen with a lot of roots, beans, and grains. I’ve also found that prepping and freezing meals is game-changing this time of year. Insert these sweet potato black bean burgers!

I have been seriously loving storing these babies in my half-gallon stasher bag and freezing them. If you don’t plan on eating any of these right away, it’s easiest to layer them on parchment paper and slide them in the bag. That way, they don’t stick together when they freeze. These are also great to make at the beginning of the week for meal prep so you can use leftover ingredients later (which I throw in my snack size stashers as well).

Sweet Potato + Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• ⅓ cup uncooked brown rice or quinoa (1 cup cooked)
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 can black beans
• ½ red onion diced
• 1 jalapeno diced
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• olive or avocado oil for cooking

Prep

1. Cut a small slit in each of the sweet potatoes. Roast on the center oven rack at 425F for an hour or until tender.
2. Cook the brown rice or quinoa while potatoes roast.
3. Blend old fashioned oats in a high-speed blender until pulverized into flour.
4. Drain and rinse can of black beans.
5. Finely dice jalapeno and onion.

Make

1. Scoop out cooked sweet potatoes and add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
2. Mash together until thoroughly combined.
3. With your hands, form mixture into 1” thick patties.
4. Place patties in an oiled cast iron. Let them cook on high heat for a couple minutes, flip, and cook until heated the whole way through with crispy edges.
5. Enjoy now or store in the freezer!

This recipe was developed Mara Davanzati, the goddess of energy food and holistic wellness over at nourishsankalpa.com. Connect Mara on Instagram at @nourish.sankalpa!