Hey guys! I am back with a new recipe and this time I have teamed up with my bestie, and fellow nutrition professional Bari Stricoff to give you a delicious veggie burger recipe. We always find veggie burgers are a great way to pack in a variety of different ingredients, as we know the more variety we have in our diets, the happier our gut health is which means the better our bodies are functioning.
What’s also great about this recipe is you can make up a large batch, freeze them, and use them to include in your meal prep for the week. We carefully picked ingredients that meant they’re high in protein, complex carbs and of course veggies!
What’s also great about this recipe is you can make up a large batch, freeze them, and use them to include in your meal prep for the week.
So what did we add in our veggie burgers and why did we add it?
Sweet potato– A great source of fibre that contributes to digestive health. They are also high in Vitamin A, B5, B6, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and beta-carotene.
Quinoa- 1 cup contains more than 8 grams of protein and includes all nine of the essential amino acids that our body needs for growth and repair. Quinoa is great of either lunch or dinner, and is flavoursome mixed with different herbs or spices and vegetables
Black beans- As well as being a great source of plant based protein, black beans are also a good source of phosphorous, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc- all of which contribute to maintaining bone health.
Ingredients (Makes 4 large veggie burgers or 8 small ones)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cooked
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1 cup oats (rolled oats)
- 2 eggs (regular or flaxseed eggs…. we used one of each!)
- 2 TBS nutritional yeast (optional)
- 3 TBS spicy and smoky spice blend (mix of cumin, onion powder, turmeric, chili powder, salt, pepper, coriander and cayenne pepper)
- 1 cup chopped coriander (aka cilantro)
- 1 TBS garlic powder
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Make quinoa per pack instructions. For extra flavour, cook with either vegetable or chicken stock!
- Rinse and drain the can of black beans. Place half in the food processor and hold half for later
- Mix together ½ can of beans, 2 large sweet potatoes, eggs, nutritional yeast, herbs and spices
- Move mixture to a large bowl and add remaining beans, oats, and quinoa until batter is thick
- Place batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour for batter to set
- You may cook these on the stove top if you wish. I recommend placing burgers on parchment paper and bake for 20-30 minutes, flipping half way through!
We paired our black bean and sweet potato burgers with a large green leafy salad as a great source of plant based protein! It’s important to incorporate plant proteins into your diet because they offer a wide variety of other nutrients compared to animal proteins (i.e. FIBRE). Plant based protein is also sustainable and as mentioned before, dietary variety is key to a healthy gut microbiome!
As we approach the holiday season, it’s a great idea to keep some meal prepped items in your freezer to have at your disposal. This is a great way to spice up your leftovers or have when you’re too busy to cook something from scratch. Being prepared during busy times is key to maintaining overall health and continuing to feed your body with nutritious and delicious choices.
