Sweet Potato, Chickpea, and Quinoa Burger for One

Makes 2 soft patties. I eat one right away and use the other broken up onto salads ‘n’ things.

**The bun shown in this image is not in any way gluten-free. The recipe for this tasty addition will come soon. 

½ a small sweet potato

1/8 cup dry quinoa (2 TBLSP)

1/8 cup dry barley (2 TBLSP)

½ 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (about ¾ cup, if you’re making them yourself)

1 TBLSP fresh parsley

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 TBLSP quinoa flour (use whole wheat if you don’t have quinoa flour handy)

1 ½ TBLSP olive oil

1.      Preheat oven Bake the sweet potato half at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-60 minutes, or until soft.

2. While the sweet potato is baking, cook the quinoa and barley in separate pots until soft, about 30-60 minutes (barley takes a little longer).

3.      Once the sweet potato is baked and cooled a little, combine it with the garbanzo beans, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper, garlic powder, flour, and ½ TBLSP of the olive oil in a food processor or blender. You don’t have to make complete mush of it, but it should be heading toward smooth. There shouldn’t be any obviously identifiable lumps in there.

4. Mix the bean mixture with the quinoa and barley in a small bowl.
5. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Place two heaping spoonfuls of the bean mixture onto the hot pan, and use the back of the spoon to pat them flat and form four-inch diameter patties. Brown both sides of each burger. This may require several flips.

Serve on a bun with accoutrements, if you’d like, or broken up into salads, etc.

It’s not really suitable for grilling, as it stays super soft.

Black Bean Burger for One (with Cherry Compote)

It’s cherry season, and after you’ve had your fill of pies and other sweets, you might be looking for a way to use this luscious fruit in a more savory way. Try making a compote and putting it over a very earthy-tasting bean burger to shake up your palate a bit!

If making the cherry compote as a topping, make it first.

Black Bean Burger

·         ¼  cup plus 2 TBLSP cooked black beans

·         1 TBLSP Dijon-style mustard

·         1 chopped green onion

·         3 black olives, chopped

·         1 small clove garlic, smashed

·         1 TBSLP fresh coriander

·         Pinch ground cumin

·         Pinch salt

·         3 TBSLP rolled oats (you can use a gluten-free product, like almond flour, too)

If baking the burger, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If frying, oil the pan ever so slightly.

1.    In a food processor, blend the beans, mustard, green onion, olives, garlic, coriander, cumin, and salt until you have a chunky purée. Pulse in the oats (or flour). Form the resulting paste into a patty shape.

2.    Heat a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook the patty SLOWLY for approximately 6-8 minutes on each side, or until brown. (If you can cover it, all the better.) Alternatively, place the patty on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

3.    Serve burgers topped with sliced avocado and your favorite burger toppings, such as vegan sour cream, red onion, vegan cheese, etc. and your favorite sides.

Note: This burger is too soft to work on a grill.

Cherry-Thyme Compote

·         1 TBLSP extra-virgin olive oil

·         3 slices of a small shallot, minced

·         Pinch kosher salt

·         Pinch freshly ground pepper

·         1 cup fresh Bing cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped

·         1 ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar

·         1 ½ teaspoon firmly packed brown sugar’

·         Pinch of minced fresh thyme (or dried)

1.  Put the olive oil into a small saucepan. Set the pan on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is softened, about one minute. Add in the salt and pepper.
2. Add the cherries and cook, stirring often, until they are warm and begin to give off their juices, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar, sugar, and the thyme and stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Transfer the compote to a serving bowl. 


I like this sauce over savory things, like seitan, mushroom burgers, and rice, but it also adds an interesting touch to vegan vanilla ice cream!