California Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with Pico de Gaillo, Avocado, and Micro Greens
It’s memorial day again. We are celebrating all of America by going region to region. Here is a taste of California and the southwest: California Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers. This is a vegan and gluten free treat that is a departure from the heavy meats and hot dogs associated with the day. You could get “impossible” burgers or other meat substitute. But, we prefer something that is its own unique entity. Just like California and the USA, there are no imitations. Sweet potato makes a great vehicle for a “burger” patty. Quinoa and black beans add texture and protein. And, southwestern flavors round out the burger. It doesn’t feel or taste like a burger. But, it is bursting with flavor and texture.
When making these burgers, be sure to dry your ingredients as much as possible, and sear at heat high. They could stick and fall apart, if not hot enough. By freezing the patties, you create a more solid product to put on the grille or in a pan. This allows for better marking. Once you sear it, and, create a good crust, you can heat it through. If your burger is a little soft, you can finish heating it in an oven or put it in an area of your grille with lower heat.
Another way to get a better consistency and help it hold together better is to add egg. This makes the mix looser. But, it cooks up more solid. We don’t have eggs here, because we are trying to remain vegan. Also, we use rice flour to keep it gluten free. You can substitute regular flour if gluten is not an issue. Again, glutenous flour creates a sturdier product. But, it needs to cook longer to make sure you aren’t eating raw flour.
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California Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers are better for the environment and animal welfare.
California Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers need a unique condiment. We are using a pico de gaillo. You could add in a spicy aioli or go with more traditional ketchup and mustard. But, we aren’t really looking to imitate a burger. So, we want this to be it’s own dish bursting with flavor. And, don’t forget, you are doing great things for animal welfare eating vegan food. And, don’t forget the impact on the environment. Plant based food requires less land, energy, and processing than meat. A switch to more plant based foods could have an immediate and lasting effect on climate change. Even the UN agrees with this and presents evidence to back up the assertion.
California Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers with Pico De Gaillo, Avocado, and Micro Greens
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (or whole in the skin to be baked)
- 1/2 cup dry black beans
- 1/2 cup grilled corn
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 Tbsp Chopped fresh garlic
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh jalapeno
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbsp Chopped fresh scallion
- 1/4 cup Quinoa
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
- For pico De gaillo:
- 1/2 cup diced fresh onion
- 1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
- 1 cup diced fresh tomato
- 1/4 cup diced fresh peppers
- 2 Tbsp Lime juice
- 1 Tbsp diced fresh jalapeno
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp Chopped fresh scallion
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 medium Avocado, sliced
- Micro greens for garnish
- Gluten free Burger rolls (If gluten is not a problem, substitute rolls)
Instructions
- Soak black beans for several hours or over night. Drain off liquid and rinse. Cook beans in salted water with cumin until soft, but not falling apart. Drain liquid and set aside.
- Boil sweet potatoes in salted water. Drain well. Let all liquid drain out. You can pop in the oven to dry out more if necessary. Alternatively, you can bake the sweet potatoes whole in the skin for about 30 to 40 minutes,and, scrape out the flesh. Either way works. The important thing is to remove moisture. When cooked, puree in a food processor until smooth
- Cook the quinoa: Saute onions, garlic, and jalapeno in oil in a pot, Cook until translucent. Add Quinoa, stir. Add water at a ratio of 2 to 1. Cook until liquid is mostly gone and the quinoa is soft, but not breaking apart. Drain off any extra liquid.
- Fold all the burger ingredients together. The mix should be pretty stiff. If not, add a little more rice flour to bind. Form burgers from the mix. Freeze them for at least an hour until they are firm enough to stand up to the heat of cooking.
- Make the pico de gaillo: Fold all ingredients together and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Right before or while you are cooking the burgers, slice the avocados. Sprinkle with lime juice if they are going to sit for a while. Otherwise, they will turn black or brown.
- Pre-heat a grille to high heat or a saute pan. Spray the burgers with pan spray and cook on the grille or in a pan. Let them sear well about 1 to 3 minutes on either side. They should be heated all the way through. The best way to acheive this is by finishing them in a 400 degree oven. They can be a bit soft, and hard to manipulate on a grille. Serve on buns with pico, avocado, and microgreens.