Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Oh boy do I have a treat for you! We had these de-lish burgers last night and they did not disappoint. My friend Kristen shared the recipe and I am so glad she did. What a healthy and yummy alternative to your standard beef burger. The original recipe comes from Healthy Happy Life. They claim it makes 7-8 patties, but I could have easily made twice that. Next time I may use a smaller sweet potato and only one can of beans because I'm not sure they would make good leftovers. We topped ours with avocado and Kristen said hers were perfect with horseradish on them. Sadly we were completely out, but I can't wait to try them with a lil' extra kick next time. They weren't a huge hit with the girls, but they didn't really give them a chance. I think that if they actually took a bite of the burger instead of a nibble they would have been surprised. Oh well, their loss that just meant more for me and the hubby. They do come out more squishy than burgers, more like a falafel than a meat patty, but don't be afraid to get a little messy. They are totally worth it. Ok, enough rambling. Here's how you make 'em...

Ingredients

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained

1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed, about 2 cups

2T tahini

2t maple or agave syrup

1t lemon pepper seasoning or Cajun seasoning (or another favorite spice)

1/4 cup wheat flour

Panko crumbs

safflower oil for pan (I used EVOO)

Burger toppings: avocado, Dijon Mustard, whole grain buns, lettuce greens, onion, olive oil, pepper

Directions

• Bake sweet potato (I put mine in the crockpot on low all day and it was nice and soft when I got home from work). Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
• Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
• Mash in seasonings, flour and any additional seasonings you like. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist but you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of bread crumbs to thicken the mixture if needed.
• Heat 1T of oil in a pan over high heat
• 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.
• Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for  a few minutes.
• Serve on toasted buns with lots of your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!