chipotle quinoa burgers with guac

First off, a big thank you to my little sister for sending me this picture and recipe! 

I will be making these on Friday as a special welcome home dinner for Joel! 

When I first stopped eating meat, one of the things I worried about was never being able to enjoy a juicy, delicious burger ever again. Now the thought of a nasty chunk of beef sitting on a bun makes me sick, and lately I've been enjoying some of the best burgers I've ever had! If you are hesitant to try a veggie burger, black bean burger or quinoa burger - I urge you to give it a whirl! So delish. :)

This burger is LOADED with nutrients. From fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, vitamin K, folate, riboflavin, copper, protein, pantothenic acid ... you get the point. 

Make it. Eat it. Enjoy it.

xo

Chipotle Quinoa Sweet Potato Burgers with Crunchy Guacamole

/Ingredients/

for the burgers:
-1/3 cup quinoa
-2/3 cup filtered water
-1 cup cooked sweet potato
-1/2 cup white beans (any white kind will do)
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (spicy or super spicy)
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced fresh garlic)
-1 to 2 tablespoons tahini (optional)
-1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
-Olive oil for cooking
-2 sprouted grain or whole wheat hamburger buns

for the crunchy guacamole:
-2 avocados
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa or pico de gallo
-2 tablespoon raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds - if you can't find any or don't want to use these you can leave them out)

/Instructions/

-Start by heating a small pot on the stove with the 2/3 cup filtered water and 1/3 cup quinoa. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Let the quinoa cook for 10-15 minutes (or until all the water is absorbed), then remove from the heat and let rest for at least 5 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, peal and dice 1 medium, or 2 small, sweet potatoes. Cook the sweet potatoes in a pot of boiling water on the stove for about 10 minutes, or until soft and mash-able.

-Once the sweet potatoes and quinoa are done cooking, combine the sweet potatoes and white beans in a mixing bowl and smash with a potato masher until well mashed but still retaining a little texture from the beans. Now add in the tahini (if using) and the spices. Mix well, and then add the quinoa and fold it into the mixture with a spatula. Heat a medium size pan on the stove to medium heat and drizzle with some olive oil. Form the quinoa sweet potato mixture into your desired size/amount of patties, coat them with panko crumbs, and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side (or until a nice crispy golden brown outer shell is reached). 

-While the burgers are cooking you can be assembling the crunchy guacamole by simply combining all the ingredients you see above and mashing them together (or less mashing if you like your guacamole chunky!). 

-Finally, take one of your sprouted grain/whole wheat buns and build your burger with your crispy sweet and spicy burger patty and crunchy guacamole. 

Enjoy!

*recipe adapted from everydayvegangirl