Chili Lime Veggie Burger

I am always on the lookout for a new “twist” on a homemade veggie burger. One of my favorite meals is a veggie burger over a salad or with a large side of spinach and avocado!

I found this recipe from Minimalist Baker and made a few small changes. Mostly because I am not a huge fan of barbecue sauce and also because it is difficult to find a barbecue sauce that doesn’t contain added sugar.  I used two of my favorite ingredients instead – Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning and hot sauce!

I made these on the smaller side and was able to freeze some to use throughout the next couple weeks. I thawed one out recently and reheated it in a pan and it was just as delicious!

You can throw them over some spinach and add some fresh tomato and avocado or have them in your favorite burger bun – whichever you prefer! They are great to bring to a summer cookout or to use for a quick weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 15-ounce can black beans (rinsed and dried)
• 2/3 cup raw pecans
• 1 Tbsp coconut or avocado oil (plus more for cooking burgers // or water)
• 1 heaping cup sliced and peeled sweet potato (cut into 1/4-inch rounds)
• 2 heaping cups thinly sliced portobello or button mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
• 2 1/2 tsp chili lime powder (from Trader Joe’s) or just chili powder
• 2 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 3 Tbsp hot sauce of choice ( I usually use Cholula because it’s always on hand)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 and spread rinsed, dried black beans onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake beans for 6 minutes. Then add pecans to the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes more. Set aside to cool. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 C).
• In the meantime, heat a medium to large cast-iron or metal skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil (or water) and the sweet potato. Cook about 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and cook on medium for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan and set aside.
• To a food processor, add beans and pecans and pulse (don’t combine completely – some texture is good)
• Next, add cooked sweet potato, mushrooms, half the quinoa, sea salt, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce and pulse a few times to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the rest of the quinoa. Then taste and adjust flavor as needed.
• Divide the mixture into patties with your hands. I usually make them on the smaller side and it is about 8- 10 ish small burgers. You can make them larger as well. Refrigerate burgers for 30 minutes.
• Heat your pan over medium heat. Once hot, add a bit more oil (or water) and the burgers. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Then carefully flip and cook for 4-5 minutes on the other side. Bake at 375 F for 10-15 minutes more. The burgers should appear browned.
• Serve as is or with toppings of choice!