Chipotle Maple Sweet Potato Burgers

These are my new favorite burgers.

They are absolutely amazing. Perfect texture? Check. Sweet and spicy? Check. Super healthy? Check. I know there are a scrillion-bajillion sweet potato burger recipes out there, however, with buddies like maple, chipotle, pecans, and oats these guys are truly unique. An epic fall flavor combination, if I do say so myself. 

You'll see a departure from my usual photography in future posts. During Alaskan winters it gets dark at about 4 pm. Thus, dusty artificial lights and lamps are summoned from the closet, hiding from the midnight sun of the summer.

It's kind of fun to play around with lighting. I'm not terribly experienced with lights, but luckily Todd is very fluent in these things. He helped me capture the spotlight effect for these photographs. I hope you enjoy the seasonal style! 

“It is better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.”

— Diane Grant

These perfectly textured vegan, sweet potato burgers have a hint of maple sweetness and a smoky chipotle kick.

Taking advantage of the last bit of sun!

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Chipotle Maple Sweet Potato Burgers

by Katie @ Produce On Parade October-15-2014

These perfectly textured vegan, sweet potato burgers have a hint of maple sweetness and a smoky chipotle kick.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1lb. 10 oz.), diced small
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 ½ cups quick cooking oats, dry
• ¼ cup pecans, minced
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. chipotle chili powder
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 8 hamburger buns

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, add the diced sweet potatoes and cover with water. Add a dash of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until very tender. Drain and set aside for later.In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the onions are brown and fragrant. In a large bowl, add the oats, through and including the pepper. Whisk well to combine. Add the boiled sweet potatoes and the onion mixture as well as the maple syrup. Using a wooden spoon, mash the sweet potatoes and mix everything together very well. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat your hands with a nonstick cooking spray and form the burger mix into eight large patties. Arrange on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake at 400 F for about 45 minutes, turning the patties over halfway through. Once done, remove from oven and allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes. This will set the patties. Serve hot, with BBQ sauce! Freeze the leftovers for a quick meal later.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 8 burgers

Dutch Word of The Day

Maple --> esdoorn (es-doren)

Good Deed of The Day

Perdue has been forced to remove "humanely raised" labels from it's packaged chicken flesh. "..undercover investigations have shown that Perdue's chickens are raised in a space the size of a sheet of paper, crammed with others so tightly that they suffer broken bones that go untreated, and are placed in sheds that reek of ammonia." Who would support such atrocities? It's really mind-boggling. Read more about it here. 

Sweet Potato & Blueberry Forest Bowl

I can hear my father-in-law laughing right now. Fanciful titles aren't his thing. Dishes should have one word really (spaghetti), two if need be (jelly sandwiches), and only in extreme cases do they ever need three (chicken noodle soup). But definitely not five.

However, I like descriptive recipe titles. 

Whimsical descriptives inject wonder into dishes. I could have titled this dish, Sweet Potato, Blueberry & Kale Bowl...erm...not as fun (and still long). There's greens, nuts, seeds, berries...sounds like a forest forage to me! And so it is. The playful titles stay.

“A man’s mind stretched by a new idea can never go back to its original dimensions.”

— Oliver Wendell Holmes

This is such a refreshing and wholesome meal. I had whipped up a blueberry vinaigrette in a frenzy several days ago for a surprise dinner and I knew I needed to make something to use it up. Our fridge is practically empty, no greens to speak of except for a few stalks of kale so a green salad was out to the question. That's when my idea for this forest bowl popped into my mind! Perfect!

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Sweet Potato & Blueberry Forest Bowl

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-29-2014

An easy and incredibly healthy dinner. Nuts, seeds, and dried berries adorn sweet potato, quinoa, and kale that's drizzled with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette. NOTES: Feel free to use your favorite greens, nuts, and berries for this. If you don't feel like making the dressing, any fruity vinaigrette will do.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, dry
• 2 cups water
• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
• 4 large kale leaves, de-stemmed and torn
• ¼ cup dried blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. hazelnuts, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds
• drizzle of homemade (recipe below) or store-bought blueberry vinaigrette
• dash of kosher salt
• dash of ground black pepper

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, bring the quinoa and water to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. Drain any excess water with the lid and continue to heat over low until all the water has been absorbed. Meanwhile, steam the diced sweet potatoes for about 15 minutes, until fork tender.In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the torn kale for about 1-3 minutes. It should be wilted, but develop a bright green color and still have a bit of chew to it. To serve, divide the warm ingredients evenly into four bowls. Start with a serving of quinoa into a shallow bowl and add a side of a sweet potatoes and kale. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. dried blueberries, and 1/2 Tbsp. hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 4

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Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-29-2014

A sweet and tart wild blueberry vinaigrette, the perfect compliment to a big green salad.

Ingredients

• ½ cup fresh or frozen wild blueberries
• ½ lemon, juiced
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup
• pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Combine everything in a blender and blend on high for several minutes. Serve over green salad and store in fridge

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 5 mins Yield: about 3/4 cup

German Word of The Day

Forest --> Wald (vald)

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article from The Huffington Post, Grilling For Labor Day? Don't Burn The Planet.

Sweet Potato Mango Salad

“If beef is your idea of real food for real people, you’d better live real close to a good hospital.”

— Neal Barnard, M.D.

Lately, life hasn't been permiting me time to cook up dinner. Sometimes, I forget my lunch and have to buy a teeny $4 Umpqua Oats bowl from the cafe at work (#theonlyveganoption #superbummer). More often than not, when I have to choose, I'll prioritize walking Bailey versus making a proper dinner. And occasionally, I'll get back from vacation and be precluded from squeezing in the time to make it to the store for actual dinner preparations...aka food. It's only been two weeks since we got back...a very busy two weeks.

All of these things lead me this dish. It might sound really odd, mango and sweet potatoes together in an Italian potato salad type of fashion but I'm going to need you to trust me. Your trust will be rewarded greatly. 

We have mangoes and sweet potatoes at home. That's pretty much it. No creamer, no bread, no vegan milk, no veggies, and only one (really rough looking) banana. I know, right? It's been a hectic few weeks. My stress level can be determined by how much food is in the house and how many hours I've been able to wear my nightgown. If I claimed to be living off anything other than hummus, dried figs, and vegan chocolate chips I'd be lying. It's not awful. Figs and chocolate are amazing together, seriously, you need to try it.

Things have been so dire that I spent the latter half of yesterday slinking around the clinic, seemingly casual (but actually frantic), investigating the break room tables for "please eat me" forsakens like bags of oldish bread or boxes of muffins. Half-opened candy someone didn't want in the house, shunned fruits (usually oranges, people hate oranges apparently), or a posse of pillaged chip bags from some prior festivities I wasn't privy to. I won't tell you I'm proud.

Unfortunately, my food-seeking adventures often end in a few dry spoonfuls of nutritional yeast that I have in my desk drawer. It's not ideal, but it works in a pinch. Come on, you've done it...we've all done it, right? I'll die of starvation before I spend $2.25 on a green (or conversely rotting) banana from the cafe. 

Thank goodness when I finally got home I was able to stuff my face with dried figs and chocolate chips, then start making this fantastic salad. I ate a good portion straight from the serving bowl with that big wooden spoon before I was able to shoot some photos. Cavewoman style...don't judge...

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Sweet Potato Mango Salad

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-4-2014

A delicious spin on regular potato salad. This sweet potato mango salad is studded with dried berries and dressed with lime juice and olive oil.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 large mango, diced
• ½ medium brown or red onion, sliced thinly
• 2 Tbsp. dried blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. goji berries (or other dried berries)
• small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Boil for about 5-8 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender taking care to not overcook them. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the mango, onion, berries and parsley to the cooked potatoes. Toss gently to combine.In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the potato and mango mixture. Toss gently to coat. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 4

German Word of The Day

Doctor --> Arzt (artst)

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article by Kim A. Williams, MD about how he changed to a vegan diet in 2003 to battle his rising cholesterol. Trust him, he's a doctor. Actually, he's been elected to be the next president of the American College of Cardiology. So, you really should trust him.