I love veggie burgers!  Trying to find a vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, corn-free, and not taste-free on the market is nearly impossible. And you know what?  Veggie burgers are SO easy to make, it’s a crime to ever buy those frozen patties!  You can make a double batch of your veggie burgers, wrap in plastic wrap, place in a freezer Ziploc bag, and voila!  You have homemade veggie burgers ready to eat at a moment’s notice!

Ingredients (makes 8 burgers – remember, you can store these in the freezer!):

• 2 Cups cooked organic black beans
• 1 Cup cooked quinoa (1/2 Cup quinoa, 1 Cup water boiled.  Turn down low, cover, steam for 15 minutes, fluff with a fork)
• 1 medium organic yam (dice, steam for 8 minutes, or until tender)
• 1/2 Tablespoon organic chipotle powder (less if you’d like it milder!!)
• 1 Tablespoon organic cumin
• 2 teaspoons organic dried oregano
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (I cannot tolerate garlic, so I used 1 Tablespoon organic garlic powder)
• 1 Tablespoon organic olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons organic arrowroot flour
• pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Steam your yams until they are tender (about 8 minutes).  Add your steamed yams, 1 cup of black beans, chipotle powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic to your food processor.  Pulse until combined. Put your mixture in a large mixing bowl.
2. In your mixing bowl, add your remaining 1 Cup black beans, cooked quinoa,arrowroot flour, and olive oil.  Mix until combined.
3. Now to form these babies!  I made my burgers about 1/2 inch thick, carefully place them on your baking sheet (use either parchment paper or a silicone mat to line your sheet!).  Bake for 10-15 minutes, and very carefully flip your burgers, and bake for another 10-15 minutes (be careful not to bake for too long, otherwise they tend to dry out).
4. Serve on a bun, or plain; can be topped with whatever your heart desires!  They’re also delicious crumbled in a salad (makes a great lunch to bring to work).

5.  Enjoy eating whole!

You know who loves organic steamed yams?  That’s right…Lexi!