~Amanda~
The New Year is here and that means that everyone is focused on their new year’s resolutions, a majority of which include eating healthy and working out. Based on how packed the gym has been since the 1st (I don’t know where all these people came from!), I can safely say that a lot of people made those resolutions this year and because of that, we are devoting the month of January on The Sisters Kitchen to healthy eating. We both live by the motto ‘everything in moderation’. We enjoy eating healthy and do so the majority of the time all year round and have developed so many healthy recipes that we (and our men) love. This doesn’t mean we don’t indulge though… a little chocolate after dinner is a must for me! So this month we are going to be posting some of our favorite healthy recipes that are not only nutritious, lower calorie and good for you, but they’re also so incredibly delicious that you’ll hardly notice they’re ‘healthy’. To kick off the month, I made these amazing sweet potato burgers, which are one of my favorite meals and this recipe is extra great because it makes quite a few burgers so you can freeze the extras to bring for a quick, easy, and healthy lunch during the work week!
The base of the burgers is clearly sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes (or yams) are one of my favorite ‘healthy’ ingredients to use in my cooking because they are very nutrient dense and filling while being low in calories (one serving of a burger AND the yogurt sauce comes in around 270 calories). They are an excellent source of fiber, which we all know is so good for you and everybody needs to be eating more of. They are also a great source of vitamins A, B, and C, as well as potassium, copper, and iron. To cook the sweet potatoes, pierce them all over with a fork and then microwave them in 5 minutes increments until they’re cooked thorough and soft (mine took about 15 minutes total). Once they’re cooked let them cool down and then remove them from the skins to mash them up.
The mashed sweet potatoes are then combined with all the other ingredients which include cannellini beans. I consider cannellini beans to be a superfood because of all the great effects they have on the body; they are very high in antioxidants, low on the glycemic index, and have a detoxifying effect on the body. Combined with the sweet potatoes, you can see why these burgers are so good for you! Once you add the cannellini beans, spices, oats, and bread crumbs, you refrigerate the mixture to make it a little easier to work with. That’s not saying much though, I will warn you… these burgers are sticky and can get messy so be prepared and have your workspace ready (as well as any annoying pets out of the room, trying to get our kitten off the counters while my hands were covered in sweet potato was messy to say the least!).
The first step in cooking the burgers is to brown them in a pan with some coconut oil. This helps to create a crust on the outside and hold them together… this is the messy part. Heat the oil in a pan, and then place the patties in it. At this point, you do not want to touch or move the patties for a few minutes until they are golden brown otherwise they’ll just fall apart. Be careful when you flip them too, and then brown the other side for a few minutes before transferring them to a baking sheet to finish baking in the oven (you can cook them all the way in the pan, but I just find whenever I do this the outsides start to burn and they’re never cooked all the way through, so I prefer to finish in the oven). Once they’re done, I like to serve mine on a bed of lettuce, topped with the cumin yogurt sauce, and some avocado, feta, and bell peppers and with a side of our amazing (and HEALTHY) Cauliflower and Roasted Garbanzo Bean Salad. You can always serve them in buns too, but I choose not to in order to avoid the extra, unnecessary carbs… try it out without the bun at least once, they are so good that you will not miss the bread one bit. Happy HEALTHY New Year!
- 2 large sweet potatoes / yams
- 1 15oz can cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup rolled oats (gf)
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs (I used Glutino gf Bread Crumbs)
- 1 large egg
- 3-5 tablespoons coconut oil
- Optional toppings: avocado, lettuce/spinach, bell peppers, feta, buns, etc.
- 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon agave
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- Place potatoes on a microwave safe plate and pierce all around with a fork. Microwave in 5 minute increments (rotating in between) until the potatoes are cooked through (mine took about 15 minutes total). Once the potatoes are cooked, slice in half to let them cool. Once cool, remove the skins and mash.
- While the potatoes are cooking/cooling; mash the cannellini beans in a large bowl then add in the garlic, spices, salt, pepper, oats, bread crumbs, and egg. Stir until combined then add in the mashed sweet potato when it’s ready and stir until combined. Refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes.
- While the potato mixture is in the refrigerator, make the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt, agave, cumin, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
- After the potato mixture has chilled, make the burgers. Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Then heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Form the potato mixture into patties (you can make them whatever size you prefer – I made 6 larger ones), then place in the skillet (depending on how many you made and how big your skillet is, you’ll most likely have to do this in multiple batches, adding more coconut oil as necessary). Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and then transfer to the baking and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Enjoy topped with the cumin yogurt sauce and any other toppings you desire (avocado, peppers, in a bun, etc).
