Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers {Vegan & Gluten Free}

In my home cooking experience, veggie burgers have been hit or miss.  This recipe caught my eye though because of the array of ingredients that I knew were not only super healthy, but I also happened to have everything on hand (even better!).  These were a hit in my mind because they tasted great, held their shape fairly well, and they are packed with enough protein to rival any beef burger. :)  To top it off...they are vegan and gluten free - a combination I don't often adhere to in my recipes, but it is always nice to feature a recipe for any vegan & gluten free eaters out there.  But don't get me wrong, these are for anyone & everyone to enjoy!

 Any excuse I have to eat avocado I will gladly take.  

Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers {Vegan & Gluten Free}

Makes 8 burgers

Ingredients

15 oz black beans, drained + rinsed

2 cups cubed sweet potato & 1 cup cubed red potato, cooked + skin on (microwave cubed potatoes until fork tender)

½ cup canned sweet corn

2/3 c finely chopped onion [1/2 medium onion]

2 large garlic cloves, finely minced

½ cups cooked quinoa

½ cup ground millet flour (you could substitute for ground oats or wheat flour)

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

¼ tsp. coriander

1 tsp. chili powder

1 Tbs olive oil

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375* F once you finish cooking the quinoa + potato.

Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.  Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.  In a large bowl, mash the sweet tater.  Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy.  

Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, and olive oil, until combined.  Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, and ground millet, until just combined.

Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.  Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15 min, flipping once, half-way through.

Remove from oven + serve with or without buns.  Top with avocado, ketchup, or any of your favorite fixins!

Recipe adapted from edible perspective

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries & Johnsonville Grillers

Thanks to my friends at Johnsonville I was able to get a sneak peek taste test of their new Johnsonville Grillers!  They sent me packages of the Cheddar Cheese & Bacon as well as the Swiss Cheese & Mushroom.  Luckily we had a couple nice days in the midst of this prolonged winter into spring we've been having and we were able to bust out the lil' weber grill!  We had some friends over and we were able to try both flavors of Grillers - and they were both a hit!  My personal favorite was the Cheddar Cheese and Bacon...a winning combination in my book.  They have a ton of flavor, and they are easy to make - no pattying required - they are just ready to grill! These would be great for tailgating at Brewer games :)  You can keep them frozen until you are ready to use them and they are great re-heated the next day for leftover lunches! 

In addition to the Grillers...I also made my new "go-to" Sweet Potato Fry recipe that I'm in love with.  With the help of the culinary genius from Sprouted Kitchen, I can enjoy the delicious taste of sweet potato fries at home instead of having to order them at a restaurant.  I highly recommend these to accompany your burgers or really any meal! :)

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4

Ingredients

4-5 medium sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Pinch of chile powder

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Arrange a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat the oven to 425 F.  Scrub the sweet potatoes, pat dry, and cut them into 8 wedges (or thinner if you like more of a “fry” shape) each.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the wedges with the olive oil.  Sprinkle with paprika, garlic, chile, rosemary, and a generous amount of salt & pepper and toss again to coat.  Spread them out in an even layer (try not to overlap the potatoes too much). 

Roast in the oven, flipping the wedges over and rotating the pan halfway through (after 15 minutes), until the outside of the wedges are crisp and browned/darkened, for a total of 30-35 minutes.

  

Source: adapted from Sprouted Kitchen 

Bacon & White Cheddar Omelette with Tomato & Peppers

I just love farm fresh eggs.  Not from the grocery store - I'm talking straight from the farm. I'm so blessed that Ryan's grandparents who own a farm live close by and are willing to share their farm fresh eggs with us!   I especially love the brown speckled ones.  They are so gorgeous.  (I know that might be weird to say about an egg...but I really think they just look so beautiful)  

Also, a special "thank you" goes out to OXO for providing me with some great tools for cooking up these eggs!

Here is OXO's egg beater at work! It works like a breeze...

 

Bacon & White Cheddar Omelette with Tomato and Peppers
Serves 1-2
Ingredients: 
3 eggs (farm fresh or organic cage free if you can!)
1 1/2 Tbs. butter
3-4 Grape tomatoes, seeded & sliced
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
2 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
Salt & Pepper, & Cayenne                                                                                                    Dried basil (for topping) 

Directions:
Melt 1/2 Tbs. of butter in small skillet.  Add onion and pepper and saute a few minutes on medium heat until slightly softened.  Add tomatoes and saute one minute more.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Whisk eggs together in a bowl, add pinch of salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Mix well.  Heat 1 Tbs. butter in cast iron skillet or large non-stick pan.  Heat on high until butter is done foaming and begins to color.  When butter is very hot, but not burnt - add eggs and let sit for several seconds until eggs begin to bubble up in the middle.  Tilt pan and shake eggs around so that the liquid spreads around and the eggs don't stick to the bottom on the pan.  Use your OXO omelette turner to help spread eggs around the pan - keeping the eggs in a flat circle until cooked almost through.  Add filling - peppers, onion, tomato, cheese, and bacon.  Use omelette turner or spatula to roll omelette and flip one side on top of the other creating a pocket for the filling.  Roll onto a plate and sprinkle with dried basil and a little more cheese.  Enjoy!

Jumping Monkey Pancakes {with caramelized bananas}

Banana pancakes will always make me think of Jack Johnson.  If you were a fan of him in 2005 you understand why.  If you were not a fan of him but you heard all the other peeps on the block singing his songs you understand why.  If you like bananas...hopefully you like these pancakes.  If you like Jack Johnson, used to like Jack Johnson, strongly dislike Jack Johnson, or don't even know who Jack Johnson is....hopefully you like these pancakes.   If you don't like bananas....I'm sorry...I got nothin'.  (but hopefully you still like these pancakes)

I call these Jumping Monkey Pancakes because: 

a) monkeys eat bananas (or so I'm told) 

b) monkeys jump on beds (or so I'm told) 

c) combining peanut butter & bananas in a recipe automatically permits you to include "monkey" in the title of the dish regardless of whether or not it makes sense

Enjoy! 

Jumping Monkey Pancakes

Makes about 8 pancakes

For the Pancakes:

Homemade Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

(Dry mix will last for about 4-5 different batches of pancakes, or about 40 pancakes)

 Dry ingredients

4 cups whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons natural cane turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour and store in an air-tight container. Use within 3 months.

To make pancakes:

Ingredients

1 cup dry pancake mix (from above)

1 egg

1 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon almond oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon orange zest

Directions

In a bowl, combine dry pancake mix, egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon and orange zest.   Mix just until combined.  Heat griddle and lightly grease with butter or cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on griddle for each pancake. Cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until lightly brown and crispy.  Top with peanut butter and caramelized bananas (see recipe below). 

Caramelized Bananas

(serves 2-4) 

Ingredients

1 firm but ripe banana

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 Tbs. natural cane turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)

1 tsp. black strap molasses

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 tsp. dark spiced rum

Directions

Peel banana and slice diagonally. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the banana slices and cook, gently turning them occasionally, until they begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar and molasses and cook until it melts, about 1 minute. Gently stir in the 1/2 cup orange juice and the rum and cook until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 1 minute. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more orange juice until it is the desired consistency. Serve pancakes immediately and top with a spoonful of the caramelized bananas.