Real Alberta Bean Burgers

Happy Friday! Today we are bringing you the perfect veggie burger recipe to kick off your weekend! It takes a little bit longer to prepare than some of our other recipes since we're dealing with sweet potatoes and rice here, which seem to be two of the longest foods to cook... But it is well worth the wait for these delicious burgs that taste like a cheat meal but are, in fact, very healthy.

This recipe is especially ideal if you have leftover rice and/or sweet potatoes from previous meals, as this will definitely speed up the preparation process. But since it's the freakin weekend, you've got nothing but time! This recipe yields 6 burgers and they are just as good reheated the next day or crumbled over a salad or rice bowl. Let's get started!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice or quinoa (cooked- we used brown rice, but have also done it with quinoa and it works just as well)

1 large sweet potato, or about 2 cups of mashed sweet potato

1 can of black beans (rinsed and half mashed)

1/2 cup chopped white onion (caramelized)

1 tsp vegan butter

1.5 tsp minced garlic (fresh or jarred)

2 tsp cumin (or more to taste)

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions:

First, preheat your oven to 375 and peel your sweet potatoes. Cut them into large chunks and microwave for about 10 minutes if you are in a hurry or are just impatient like us and want to speed up the cooking time.

Then get your rice or quinoa cooking based on the package's instructions.

Once the oven is ready, pop in your sweet potatoes on a sheet of parchment paper for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour depending if you microwaved them or not. Remove them once they are soft enough to mash.

Next, caramelize your onions over medium heat in a small sauce pan with the vegan butter, garlic, and salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are fragrant and soft.

In a large bowl, mash the black beans so there are no big chunks but they are not fully puréed. You still want a slightly chunky texture. If you prefer no chunks then you can mash it completely, but we recommend only "half mashing".

Next, add in your caramelized onions and all of the spices. Mix well and add in your rice and mashed sweet potatoes once they are ready. Now you'll want to taste the mix and see if you want to add any more spices. We usually add a lot of cumin.

Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, pack in the mixture, roll into a ball, and then flatten into about a 1 inch thick patty.

Place on parchment paper (we used aluminum foil because it was all we had, but parchment paper is definitely more ideal) and cook for about 20 minutes on the first side and 25 minutes on the other at 375 degrees. We know this sounds like it takes an eternity to make, but we promise you it is worth it!

Top it with your favourite burger toppings! We loaded it up with avocado, tomato, pickles, spinach, ketchup, and mustard, but you go ahead and make it your own! The messier, the better! Dig in and start your weekend with a tasty guilt-free burger!