fresh out of the oven!

This morning I woke up to find a leak in my bathroom ceiling. Living in a bajillion year old, falling apart apartment is SO fun.

Then I tried to pump gas in a wind storm in a skirt. Why do I never check the weather?!

This day is quickly going down hill but I HAD to make time to post this blog. Mostly, because I promised my Mom Sunday that I would get this to her and low-and-behold, it’s Thursday and it’s still not posted. Crap. I have magic powers when it comes to this blog. If I promise something, I never post it. It’s like a mental block. Kind of like how I told everyone I gave nut butter to for Christmas that I would totally post the recipes on WV for them to check out? Clearly, that hasn’t happened! (I promise next week, Amelia!!)

So, last weekend, I invited my mom, dad and grandma to my apartment to cook for them. I’ve been putting a lot of energy into making the apartment more home-y. It’s an uphill battle (see previously referenced  ‘bajillion year old, falling apart apartment’.). Also, all my roommates and I are in our 20s, so we are broke. Simple fact.

When I moved into the apartment, the motto was “Why pay for it when you can get it for free on the street??”. In fact, the first day I moved to Boston, one of my roommates talked my Dad into driving us (in the minivan) to pick up a couch on the side of the road. To this day, I hate that couch more then anything.

But, I’ve been working to organize things, add some color, add some wall art, etc. When I realized things were looking a little more up, I invited the family down to check it out with the promise of lunch. Of course, it turned into more of a team-effort lunch as opposed to me cooking for them (I’m used to cooking with my fellow foodie friends where it’s all a hands-on approach…plus, I had been out ’til 3am the night before soooo there was that too…). Either way, we ended up with these burgers, beer fries and roasted asparagus. And it was delicious!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burger

from Edible Perspective

• 15oz black beans, drained + rinsed
• 3c cubed sweet tater, cooked + skin on [~1.5lbs]
• 1/2c frozen or fresh corn
• 2/3c finely chopped onion [1/2 medium onion]
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2c cooked quinoa
• 6T rolled oats, partially ground
• 2T sunflower seeds
• 1/2t salt
• black pepper
• 1t cumin
• 1t oregano
• 1/4t coriander
• 1t chili powder
• 1/4t cayenne [optional]
• 1T olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 375* once you finish cooking the quinoa + potato.
2. Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.
3. Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.
4. In a large bowl, mash the sweet tater.  Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy.
5. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne [if using] and olive oil, until combined.
6. Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and ground oats, until just combined.
7. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
8. Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.
9. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through.
10. Remove from oven + serve!

*If you want to refrigerate or freeze them, let fully cool on a cooling rack.  Place in a sealed container for the fridge, or wrap in saran, then foil, then in a bag for the freezer.  If reheating a frozen burger, let it thaw completely.  Re-heat in a greased pan, over medium heat for ~3-5min per side, until hot throughout.

*To make the ground oats – Pulse your blender on + off, until you have the consistency about half way to flour.

*Instead of ground oats, feel free to sub – millet flour, oat flour, quinoa flour, whole wheat flour, etc.

*To pan cook – Heat a pan to medium and lightly grease.  Cook on each side for 5-8min, flip + cook another 5-8min until golden brown.

*For the grill – Bake burgers for 15min on one side, flip burgers once and bake another 10min.  While baking, preheat your grill slightly above medium [~350-375*]  Grease the grates and cook burgers for ~3min per side

I served this with 365 brand roasted chipotle salsa (All of us were big fans!) and Avocado Cream, recipe below.

Avocado Cream
inspired by How Sweet Eats

2/3 cup silken tofu

1 avocado, chopped

3- 4 tsp of cilantro (I used 3 but it wasn’t too strong)

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of pepper

Add cilantro and avocado to a food processor, blending to combine. Once somewhat smooth, add insilken tofu and blend again until combined. Add in salt and pepper, taste, and add more seasoning or cilantro if necessary

No one in my family is a vegetarian or vegan but all were fans of the burgers. I’ve also been taking them to lunch and serving on one slice of toasted bread, topped with salsa and avocado cream or crumbling it up over a salad and using the salsa and avocado cream as a dressing.

I noticed I’ve been getting a ton of hits on my Me Mine fruit smoothy. More Valentines recipes coming soon! (I’m not just saying that. I promise! I hope…)