veggie "burgers" from scratch

For years and years I relied on super processed, soy-based frozen veggie patties when I had a hankering for a burger. They were almost always a meat-substitute product, made to taste and feel much like real meat. I don't know why I always went for those, cause really I never liked eating the real meat burgers anyway, yet somehow the soy patties were better? The last year and a half (since I became soy-intolerant) I have taken a decidedly different turn by making my own, from scratch "burgers."  Now I am no longer trying to replace meat, rather I am making a delicious sandwich filling that does not have to have a specific taste or feel to it! It is really very freeing!

 

My favorite mixture involves a southwestern influence of sweet potato, beans, corn, onions and peppers. Usually I top it with fresh lettuce, avocado, onion and so forth. It is great because it covers so many nutritional bases! Sweet potatoes are very healthy for you: they have a high amount of vitamin A, which is a fat-soluble vitamin that is beneficial to your immune function, vision, cell growth, and maintenance of the heart, kidneys, lungs and so forth.

In this recipe I use red beans, which are high in soluble fiber, protein, Manganese, Thiamin (the latter two are important in energy production in the cells) and iron.  The soluble fiber in the red beans is very beneficial for the digestive system and also in stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Veggie patty recipe

1 cup red beans, I used canned

1 small sweet potato, diced

1 small onion, diced

3/4-1/2 a green pepper, diced

1/2 cup of corn, I used canned

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 c - 3/4c quick cooking oats

Salt and pepper to taste!

1. Steam up your chopped sweet potato until just tender. 

2. When your sweet potatoes are tender, toss in your diced pepper, onions, corn and beans - add a little oil, or if you prefer no oil put a little more water in the bottom to saute the mixture until the pepper and onions are tender. 

3. when the veggie mixture is done... Take off the heat and smash the mixture with potato masher, you really just want the beans and sweet potatoes to mix up together. Add your oats and the parsley now and mix well. Allow the mixture to rest for 10-15 minutes then form into patties, you should get at least 4-6 patties depending on the size you want. If they are too soft you can add more oats, you will have to play around with the texture and see what you like.

4. At this point I usually fry up my patties, but you could probably bake them in the oven, if you are avoiding oil. I fry them a good 3-5 minutes on each side, till it is a little crispy.

5. Now dress it up as you would a delicious sandwich: lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, sprouts! Go for traditional mustard and ketchup, or spice it up with some chipotle hot sauce, some sriracha, pickles... really the sandwich is your oyster! Hehe - Enjoy it any way you like! 

I hope you enjoy this recipe, I am always tweaking and changing things with my veggie patties so I will undoubtedly post more recipes like this!