Mini veggie patties

Kids love burgers, Kirah loves burgers. As she said yesterday "Burgers are a special treat"!

As I may have mentioned once or twice, we are vegetarian. There are a lot of good veggie burger options out there. I am a big fan of Gardenburger's Portabella burger, and while they're not technically burgers, I'm crazy about Morningstar Farms' breakfast patties. While those are great every once in a while, there's nothing better than a homemade burger, and it's a sneaky way for us to get some more veggies into our little one's meals.

You can put whatever veggies you want into veggie burgers, but you're going to need something sticky to hold it all together. Mashed beans and potatoes are perfect, and this recipe uses both!



Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers

My recipe is tweaked from this Cooking Books post.

We eat ours with a fork, but if you really want them to hold up on a bun you can use mashed sweet potato instead of grated. They also hold together better when they're slider sized, so this recipe will give you about 16 mini-burgers.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and shredded with a box grater
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 4.5 oz can mild Hatch chilies
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
breadcrumbs

In a large skillet heat a small amount of oil over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes without allowing to brown. Add sweet potato and a little bit of water to keep it from sticking. Cook for 5-7 minutes until sweet potato has softened.

In a large bowl mash black beans, leaving about 1/3 of them whole for texture. Add the rest of the ingredients, adjusting breadcrumbs as necessary to form a mixture that holds together, but is not dry. Roughly 2 to 2 1/2 slices of bread, run through a chopper and toasted slightly.

Form into small patties and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Heat your broiler to 450°F and cook for 7 minutes on each side, flipping carefully.

Kirah is crazy about salsa too, so we serve our burgers with a side of salsa verdé.