A veggie burger bursting with Southwest flavors. Sweet potato, black beans and quinoa form the base of this healthy vegan meal. Serve on a lettuce wrap or in your favorite bun. This recipe makes 8 large veggie burgers. Prep some for now and freeze some for easy meal prep another week!
To make the process of making these easier, I roast the sweet potatoes and cook the quinoa ahead of time. If you're making quinoa for dinner, you can make extra to save for these. I roast 1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes on 425 F for 1 hour (you can also microwave them for an even easier prep).
Add pumpkin seeds to a large frying pan over medium heat, stirring every few minutes, for about 10 minutes.
While the pumpkin seeds are toasting, chop the onions and bell peppers.
Add pumpkin seeds to the food processor bowl, and add olive oil, onions, and bell peppers to the frying pan. Saute for 7-10 minutes, until thoroughly softened.
While the peppers and onions are sautéing, add all the spices, coconut aminos, and dijon mustard. Be conservative with the sea salt at first, and add more after the "dough" is made.
Add the pepper and onion mix to the food processor bowl, and process for about a minute, until the seeds are broken up but still chunky.
Add the quinoa, sweet potato, black beans, cilantro, and flax meal to the food processor, and continue to process for another minute, until all ingredients are mixed together but pieces of the ingredients are still visible.
Shape "dough" into ½ cup patties. Wet hands help shape the sticky dough. If baking, add them to a lined sheet pan. If pan frying, add a bit of olive or grapeseed oil, and shape the patties and place in the pan.
Bake on 425 F for 20 minutes (I don't flip these because they are fragile at first). Allow to cool for 15-30 minutes for them to firm up right after baking.
If pan frying, add to pan over medium heat, and cook for about 10 minutes, very gently flip, and cook for another 10 minutes.
These patties are fragile right after cooking fresh. They firm up a lot as they are cooling. They have more flavor and are firm after reheating if they've been frozen.
To freeze, bake the patties, allow to fully cool, then place in a freezer container (or freezer bags) with pieces of parchment in between.
To reheat, allow to thaw 10-15 minutes, then bake at 425 F for 10-15 minutes. They can also be reheated in a frying pan over medium heat.
Notes
Nutrition for 1 out of 8 burgers (does not include buns or optional toppings)21.6g Protein | 58.1g Carbs | 20.7g Fat | 12.8g Fiber | 483 Calories