Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

Ever tried a veggie burger?  If it was store bought you probably weren't impressed- they make me cringe.  It is possible to make an amazing veggie burger though.  I've made some pretty good ones in the past but this one beats them all by a mile.

The other day on Pinterest I saw this sweet potato bean burger and it reminded me of this really amazing sweet potato burger I had in Grand Rapids.  I used to travel there for work and I was always searching for cool restaurants.  I had this particular burger at Marie Catrib's and I've been meaning to try to make something similar for awhile.  So armed with their online menu I developed my recipe.  These came out so unbelievably good that thankfully I don't need to fly to Grand Rapids to satisfy my craving.

Even if you aren't big on veggie burgers you should try these.  They are so delicious you won't miss the meat (kind of like these tacos).

These burgers also pack quite the nutritious punch.  Sweet potatoes are extremely high in vitamin A and one of these patties will provide up to 400% of your daily allowance of vitamin A.  Sweet Potatoes are also a good source of vitamins C and B.  So if you're looking for a healthy burger, these are it!

Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

Makes 4 patties

Burgers

1 very large sweet potato (or 2 medium)

1/4 cup cilantro

3/4 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 cup sliced almonds, diced

1/2 tsp salt

Chutney

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp ginger, grated

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp molasses (optional)

1/8 cup water

Curried Aioli

1/4 cup veganaise (or mayo)

1 tsp curry powder (or make your own)

Other things you'll need:

Gluten free whole grain buns

Lettuce

For the Burgers:

Lightly oil a baking sheet and preheat oven to 350.

Peel and chop sweet potato into 1/4 inch chunks.

Spread sweet potato on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

* Alternately you can just bake the sweet potato whole but it will take longer

Allow sweet potato to cool enough to handle.

Once cooled mash the potato in a medium bowl.

Add remaining burger ingredients and mix well.

Divide mixture and form into 4 patties.

Heat a pan on medium low and coat with olive oil.

Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, turning carefully.

Chutney:

Combine all ingredients in small pan and simmer until reduced.  This will cook down while you make the burgers.

Curry aioli:

Mix curry powder into aioli until combined.  Add more to taste.  I was out of curry and didn't realize it until 5pm when there were two hungry little ones circling so I made my own from this recipe.

To assemble your burgers, toast your buns (these buns!)

Slather on some curry aioli.  Place some lettuce on the bottom bun and the burger on top.  Cover it with the chutney and dig in!

 Aidric loved his burger but things got a little messy.

You'll love this burger too.  Even if things get messy.