Sweet Potato Burgers and White Bean Salad

I've tried a lot of things and from many different places that I've featured on the blog but the following is a first! This is the first thing that I cooked from Pinterest! For those of you that haven't discovered this wonderfully creative online board then let me share this with you and probably a few other recipes along the way. If you're unfamiliar with Pinterest here's a little bit from their "About" section on their website: "What is Pinterest? Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests." I enjoy pinning recipes and craft projects the most! Sweet potato burgers caught my eye so I pinned them. And then cooked them! And fed them to Patrick. I served them with a side of white beans and cherry tomato salad.

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers from lunchboxbunch.com & Pinterest
makes 7-8 large patties
2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning OR Cajun seasoning (or another fave spice!)
1/4 cup wheat flour
optional: additional seasoning
salt to taste if needed
plentiful Panko crumbs
safflower oil for pan
for burgers: avocado, Dijon mustard, grain buns, romaine, onion, olive oil, pepper

1. Bake sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.

Look at all that fiber!

3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on toasted bun with lots of toppings. Read on for how we served.

 

White Beans and Cherry Tomato Salad from Simply Recipes
Serves 6-8

1 15-ounce cans of white beans, such as Great Northern or canelli beans, drained and rinsed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley

Dressing ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

1 3-inch sprig of fresh rosemary

3 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped (omit for vegetarian option)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1. Start by making the dressing. Put the garlic and rosemary in olive oil in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until the rosemary begins to sizzle. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes, allowing the rosemary and garlic to infuse in the oil.

This was real easy and imparted a lot of flavor to the salad (and makes the house smell really good).

2. Remove rosemary sprig from the oil, discard. Remove the garlic from the oil, reserving the oil. Add the garlic, anchovies (omit for vegetarian option), Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until smoth.

3. In a medium bowl, gently fold the garlic mixture in with the beans until they are well coated. Let sit for a few minutes for the beans to absorb. Gently mix in the reserved olive oil, tomatoes, and parsley.

You may choose to serve it with bread and make it a sandwich. Avocado and dijon mustard top the patty beautifully. This was Patrick's choice.

You could also choose to serve a "deconstructed" version.  I put them white bean salad on the bottom of the bowl and topped with avocado and the sweet potato burger!