Can we make a burger with almost no burger ingredients? No meat, no bread, no cheese?
That was our challenge for making this recipe.
Also, these sliders don’t even have the traditional lettuce! We have microgreens and spring greens on these colorful “burgers” instead.
The trickiest part is matching the sizes of things. Of course, any size of slider will work, but consistency is key. We tried to make our sliders 3-inches in diameter, so that meant we had to find 3-inch diameter sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and onions.
Most importantly, the patties have to be formed to 3-inches so they are stable on the sweet potato base!
When everything lines up, it forms a perfect 100% plant-based burger. So good, it makes it worth the work.
Keep your veggies on your sweet potatoes, not the floor,
Your favorite alternative chefs, K & T
Sweet Potato Veggie Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa about ¾ cup dry quinoa
- 2 large sweet potatoes 3 inch diameter is perfect if possible!
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 red onion
- 1 tbsp each chili powder cumin powder, and paprika
- sea salt and black pepper
- 4 pitted medjool dates soaked if too dry
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 2, 15 oz cans black beans fully drained and dabbed dry (if needed)
- Microgreens
- 2 large tomatoes sliced
- Any other burger toppings! We used mayo, spring greens, and mustard
Instructions
-
Cook quinoa as desired and set aside when complete. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
-
Slice sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Lay the slices on a baking sheet, salt and pepper both sides, then place into the oven.
-
Bake 20 minutes, flip, then bake an additional 10-15 minutes until tender but not mushy. Carefully remove from the oven and place slices on a cooling rack so they don’t get soggy.
-
Place a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot enough to sizzle water, add walnuts and toast for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden brown. Remove walnuts from the pan and set aside to cool.
-
Cut the red onion in half. Slice one half into thin rings and set aside for using as a topping. Dice the other half.
-
Using the now empty large skillet over medium heat, add the diced onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste and saute for 4-5 minutes, until onion is fragrant, soft, and translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.
-
In a high powered blender (or food processor), add the toasted walnuts, chili powder, cumin powder, paprika, and 1/2 tsp of both salt and pepper. Blend until it forms a fine meal.
-
Add the sauteed onion, dates, and tamari. Blend until combined. Turn off the blender/food processor.
-
Mix in the black beans and cooked quinoa with a wooden spoon. Make sure to mash some of the black beans while stirring. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
-
Form the burgers. 1/4 cup of the mix at a time, place into a plastic wrap, ball it up, and squish to form a patty. Unwrap the patty and continue.
-
Heat up the same large skillet used earlier over medium heat. Place burgers into the pan, being sure not to crowd them. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, flipping gently.
-
To serve, place down 1 sweet potato slice, mayo, greens, patty, tomato, onion, microgreens, mustard, and top with sweet potato slice.