LAST MINUTE SWEET POTATO VEGGIE BURGERS

Today I’m headed out to the South east. My whole entire family is going to be meeting at my parents’ house on the coast of North Carolina. I am definitely looking forward to some beach time, slowing down, and lots and lots of fresh seafood. Of course I wouldn't think about not sharing all the good food with you, don’t you worry.

For me, when traveling there’s always a list of to-dos to get through and things to prepare in order to hit the road. One of the tasks I usually have to figure out before I leave is what the heck to do with all the food still left in the fridge. Some things are fine to leave, however if you’re like me I always have fresh produce in the house and I hate to waste delicious food. Luckily, I had time over the weekend to clean out the fridge and get creative! Whatever I decided to go with had to be able to keep or freeze well since I wouldn’t have time to probably eat it before I left anyway. Here’s what I came up with.

I had an abundance of Organic sweet potatoes that I picked up from Trader Joe's on super sale, a pepper from the farmer’s market and some onions. Veggie burgers sounded like the right idea! They keep well and are super convenient for single use. I love the idea of just grabbing one from the freezer and re-heating on those days or nights where your too tired to think about what to eat. The perks of thinking ahead.

Let’s get started! First you will need the following: (all organic for the most benefits)

5 petite sweet potatoes (or 2 large ones)

1/2 red onion

1 green pepper

½ c cilantro

2 cloves garlic

1 egg

1-15 0z can of white beans

½ c almond meal

2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum

salt 7 pepper to taste

Begin by boiling sweet potatoes till they become tender. Do this by testing with a fork. Roughly around 15 minutes. I like to leave the skin on. Once boiled it becomes way easier to peal them off in one swoop. While those are boiling, dice up your onions, peppers, and garlic.

When potatoes are ready, peel and place in a food processor till well blended. Add the egg, almond meal, garlic and spices. Once everything is mixed well you can add your cilantro, peppers, and onions. Just pulse the processor a few times , or mix by hand. Scoop out everything and place in a bowl. You will need to refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Once your batter has chilled your ready to start baking! Take a cookie sheet and lightly grease or lay a piece of parchment paper down. I used a giant spoon to scoop the batter out. It will still be a little soft. (don’t worry!) Then use the back of the spoon to make your burger shapes the size of your desire. Place in oven and bake for a total time of 35 minutes.

Half way through the cook time take burgers out and give them a flip. This helps ensure the veggie burgers cook all the way through.

That’s it! So simple and the reward is great. A clean & nourishing meal you can cook on the fly or save for another time. Bonus!I was able to make about 10 veggie burgers from my batter. Yours may vary depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. I encourage you all to try this experiment at home before you leave on your travels. You’ll feel better about not wasting all that food or money. As well, who doesn’t love to return after a long trip to a home-made meal already ready to go!