As a vegetarian living with a meat-eater, there are nights when I like to make vegetarian versions of non-vegetarian meals. Just to keep things simple, if burgers are on the menu for others, veggie burgers are typically on the menu for me. Keeping in line with my goal to avoid overly processed foods (and also my love of cooking!) I love to make my own veggie burgers. I’ve tried many recipes and these masala veggie burgers are by far my favorite because of the delicious spice combination and also the balance of nutrients. It has vitamins and fiber from the sweet potato, protein from the quinoa and other micronutrients and added benefits from the yummy spices.
These can be eaten on a bun like a traditional burger or you can serve it how I usually have it, topped with hummus and a side a stewed green beans or roasted broccoli. Baking the sweet potato ahead of time will cut down on the prep time.
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (I make mine with veggie broth)
- 1 baked sweet potato with skin removed
- 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp. freshly ground flax + 3 Tbsp. water)
- 1 small white onion chopped
- a small handful of chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 inch piece of ginger minced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ¼ tsp mustard seed
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp. oil of your choice (I like to use coconut)
- Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Form the mixture into four patties and put them on an oiled baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of each burger with oil or spray with nonstick spray.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Flip, brush with oil and bake for another 15 minutes.
- You can make these in larger batches and freeze them for easy future meal prep! Once you've formed the patties, place each one in between sheets of wax paper, place inside a ziploc freezer bag and place in the freezer. When you want to make them just let them cook another 10-15 minutes.
- Bake the sweet potato the night before to decrease prep time.
