This veggie burger has it all.

Greens √
Beans√
Onions√
Mushrooms√
Sweet Potato√
Oats√

Oats are total (or should I say “toatal”) health allies. Ann and Jane Esselstyn state in their book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, the three reasons why you should incorporate oats daily:

1. Oats help lower cholesterol.
2. Oats help decrease inflammation
3. Oats are dose-responsive, so the more oats you eat, the more effective they are.

We all know oats are great for breakfast, but how to incorporate them into lunch and dinner?  Well, these veggie burgers have you covered.

Greens, Beans, Onions and Mushrooms are all powerful super foods but I want to take a moment to focus on sweet potatoes.   Sweet Potatoes are an excellent source of beta-carotene which the body then converts into Vitamin A.  It also is a great source of fiber and potassium as well as Vitamin C, B-6 and manganese.  The most nutritious part is the skin, so think twice before you grab the peeler 😉

Now, veggie burgers are known to be tough to get the right texture.  My first time around with this recipe ended up being too moist and squishy.

Squishy is never the best adjective for food.  So, I tried again after letting my brain process a bit. I ended up switching the oat flour for whole oats with much success! I hope that you enjoy them as much as we did!

LEFTOVERS?  I broke one up over our lunch salads for the next day and paired it with an oil-free balsamic dressing (3 parts balsamic vinegar, 2 parts mustard of choice, (I used honey) and 1 part maple syrup — yep, I said maple syrup!)

(If you find that your burger is too crumbly or too wet, let me know in the comments so that I can re-examine my ingredients or instructions. After all, this is a blog about my “adventures” in the kitchen and I would love for you to be a part of it!)

The Ultimate Veggie Burger

Ingredients:

Makes approximately 6 burgers

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 2 cups roasted (or steamed) sweet potato (one large sweet potato)
• 1 (15oz) can drained and rinsed Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas)
• 5 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 packed cup spinach
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• Your favorite bun and fixings! (I used Ezekiel Sprouted Grain which can be found in your freezer section, lettuce, tomato and tahini spread. Ian also enjoyed honey mustard) I am curious about avocado, so if you try it, let me know below!

UPDATE 2/15/15: We had these as leftovers tonight and put caramelized onions on top with honey mustard.  I highly recommend 🙂

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast sweet potato (if roasting) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper for burgers.
2. Pulse garlic and then onion in a food processor.
3. Sauté mushrooms in a pan (no need for oil) and when they are nearing the end of their cook time, toss in spinach and cook just until it begins to wilt.
4. Place beans, mushrooms, and spinach in the food processor and pulse very gently!  Add sweet potato and pulse just until combined.  We want to be careful not to completely break everything down or else we lose the desired texture.  It is alright to see some bean pieces.  Alternatively, you can mash these ingredients with a potato masher if you fear over processing (or if you loathe cleaning your food processor like we do)
5. Take mixture and place into a large bowl.  Add the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and oats.  Mix until incorporated (adding extra oats if the mixture seems too wet.
6. Get hands wet (helps to keep mixture from sticking to your hands) and roll into approximately 6 balls.  Press them flat on the parchment paper.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 min.  Then flip (they may be fragile at this point still so be gentle) and bake for 10 min.  Flip again and bake for 5, and then once more for 5 for a total of 30 min until they are browned and have solidified but not burned.  Alternatively, you can put them in a pan as well.
8. Serve on your favorite bun with your favorite fixings and condiment.

Parsley and Tahini Spread:

This definitely has a strong flavor but it will pair well with the bun and burger.  If you taste it off the spoon, it may surprise you 😉 You can dull down the flavor with some more water or to adjust consistency.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/3 cup parsley
• 1 TBS hemp seeds (may be possible to omit if you can’t find them)
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp water (or more to adjust for taste and consistency)

Directions:

1. Start by mincing the parsley in the food processor.
2. Add remaining ingredients except water and mix.  It should thicken up.
3.  Add water as you see fit!

UPCOMING:   Tonight I am making a green pasta sauce.  What ever could it be?  Any guesses?  Also, I made cookies with what I am calling “date jelly.”  Curious?  Stay tuned and subscribe because it should be making an appearance soon!

One last thought:  There is so much snow that my head is spinning. So, this seems fitting since I haven’t been able to stop singing it for weeks:  SNOW.

Ok, one more last thought:  Stay warm! Unless you live somewhere warm, then I am sending you snow. SHIP SNOW YO. Click it.  It’s real.

Thanks for being a friend,

Elyse