maple chipotle sweet potato burger

life has been crazy busy lately. these are days when all i want to do is crash on the couch and not think about dinner, dishes or chores. when life gets hectic i run straight to the freezer hoping to find some semblance of a healthy dinner - typically you will find carefully tucked away leftovers or stock piles of pesto in my freezer.

this past week i was lucky - i could say that i was totally planning ahead by whipping up a batch of these tasty veggie burgers for the upcoming week. but, the reality was it was a burger experiment that just happened to taste fantastic and freeze well. this is also a burger that Justin wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole - pay no attention to him, he is weird. so that left me with 4 burgers all to myself - which ended up being a quick and east lunch/dinner for me a few days last week.

this is a bean free burger - gluten free too if you swap out the wheat germ for gf oats.

there is all kinds of goodness in this burger - sweet potatoes, mushrooms & millet are the base. dates and maple syrup add a hint of sweetness which is a nice contrast to the smokey chipotle. lime, cilantro and cumin add another layer of flavor, bringing these burger to whole nother level.

the sweet potatoes are steamed and whirled in a food processor with the mushrooms, dates & chipotle.

then mixed with a bit of wheat germ, lime, cumin, cilantro, salt, maple syrup, millet and Pepita's.

the mix is formed into 4 patties - i will definitely be making a double batch of these burgers,

they freeze really well!

in a medium pan, the burgers are pan seared with a bit of canola oil, then baked in a pre heated 350* oven.

baking firms up the burgers versus just straight up pan frying.

my burgers where served up with a layer of mashed avocado, local arugula and sliced tomato.two words  for you - incredibly amazing.

these burgers freeze well and reheat beautifully.

i have cooked these on the grill with a slice of tin foil under the burger lightly sprayed with canola oil.

they also reheat nicely in the toaster oven.

i am planning on making another batch of burgers for this weekend - we have 2 BBQ's to attend, these are going to be perfect for my vegetarian and vegan cousin's and sister.this time around i will make up a vegan gluten free batch with gf oats and sub in fresh cilantro for the dried.

tell me, what's your favorite veggie burger recipe?

with my first successful veggie burger recipe under my belt, i see many more homemade veggie burgers in my future.

Maple Chipotle Sweet Potato Burger

makes 4 burgers

you will need:

1/4 dry millet + 3/4 cup water

1 large or (2) small sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed and steamed (about 2 cups worth)

1 cup of baby Bella mushrooms, quartered

2 dates, pitted

1 chipotle pepper

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried cilantro, 2 tsp if using fresh

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1/4 cup wheat germ (GFO - gf oats)

1 tbsp Pepita's

canola oil

avocado, arugula & buns for serving

assembly:

peel, cube and steam sweet potatoes

in a small sauce pan bring water to a boil, add millet, cover and cook for 15 minutes until water is absorbed and millet is cooked through - remove from heat and cool.

in a food processor fitted with an s blade, process sweet potato, mushrooms, dates, chipotle pepper until mushrooms are finely diced.

in a medium bowl add sweet potato mix, cooked millet and remaining ingredients - lime through Pepita's and mix well. divide the mixture into 4 even mounds. form each mound into a patty and place on a baking sheet.

in a medium fry pan, heat a tsp of canola oil over medium heat. 1 patty at a time pan fry in oil until each side is golden brown. transfer back to the baking sheet, continue with each burger.

bake pan seared burgers in a pre heated 350* oven for 10 minutes - this step ensures the burger

"sets" / "firms" up.

remove from oven and serve on a bun with mashed avocado, arugula and slice tomato.

to freeze for later, layer burgers between wax or parchment paper and seal in a Ziploc bag. reheat on the grill, stove top or toaster oven until warmed through.

enjoy!