Chipotle Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

These are hands down some of the best homemade veggie burgers I have ever made! Like most veggie patties, they are a tad bit mushy if you use too much sweet potato or if you make them too thick - but that won't even matter once you taste all the flavours going on in these! The use of cornmeal instead of breadcrumbs gives them great texture and crispy exterior, and the chipotle pepper adds a touch of spice and tons of flavour. Make these immediately!

Ingredients:

1 medium (1 lb.) sweet potato

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 15oz. can black beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

1/2 cup cornmeal, divided use (I love Bob's Red Mill brand of cornmeal because it is more textured than most)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1-2 green onions, finely chopped

1/4 bunch cilantro

1 Tbsp. neutral oil like canola or grapeseed, for frying

4-6 burger buns

1 avocado, sliced

Mayonnaise, Sriracha, and lettuce for serving

Directions:

Cook the sweet potato first by either microwave or oven. For the microwave: poke it with a fork all over, wrap loosely in paper towel and place it on a plate. Microwaving for 7-10 minutes, until no longer hard. For the oven: Bake for 40-50 minutes in a 400 degrees F oven until cooked all the way through. Set the sweet potato aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a large bowl, combine the corn kernels and beans. Use a potato masher or a large fork to mash up the beans a bit. You still want there to be a bit of texture so don't mash them completely smooth. Add in the chipotle pepper and 1 tsp. of the adobo sauce from the can, 1/4 cup cornmeal, garlic powder, cumin, salt, green onions, and cilantro. Stir to combine, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the cornmeal to absorb some of the moisture and the flavours to develop.

Divide the burger mixture into 4 or 6 burger patties, pressing them until they are about 3/4" thick. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of cornmeal onto a plate. Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is very hot, coat the outside of each burger patty in the cornmeal and place on the skillet. Cook for about 5-6 minutes per side, or until the patties are golden brown and crispy on the outside. You can add more oil if needed, or if you needed to cook the burgers in two or three batches. Turn the patties gently with a flat spatula so they don't fall apart on you.

Serve in a bun with mayonnaise, crisp lettuce, sliced avocado, and a squirt of Sriracha if you like it spicy!

*Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes