Sweet Potato Burgers

My mom told me that the black bean brownie picture was ugly. She’s right (but they’re so damn delicious that I couldn’t wait to prettify them before posting).

So for Mom (and Pete, and Dana, and everyone else that remarked on the unfortunate image of that delicious brownie), here’s a pretty picture—and a stupid-easy yummy recipe.

1 sweet potato, cooked (wash it, stab it, microwave it for 5 minutes, flip it, zap it for another 3-5 minutes, skin it)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup sliced almonds

3 tbsp. ground flaxseed

3 tbsp. tahini

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until thoroughly mixed.

2. Form mixture into burger-like shapes.

3. Heat oil in skillet and cook burgers for about 6 minutes on each side.

4. Top with pesto.

Deliciously Decadent Fudgy Flourless Black Bean Brownies

I learned something about myself while developing this recipe: Not only am I horrible at following directions, I don’t even follow my own directions. My original intent was to make “Outrageous Brownies”—a recipe a friend shared from the Forks Over Knives cookbook—but I didn’t have date syrup and I certainly wasn’t going to use barley flour (fyi: barley is gluten-filled) so I improvised a little. The results were delicious, but I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d done so Pete, the logical one, insisted that I make another batch following the recipe I’d created. Of course, I obliged—even if he just wanted more brownies, he had a good point. Once again, I made some changes, but this time I measured and took notes and dammit it’s ready for public viewing/tasting/ridiculing.

Enjoy!

1 banana, sliced

15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained

8 dates (pits removed)

½ cup maple syrup

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

heaping ½ cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp. vanilla extract (I recommend using ½ tbsp.)

1 cup chocolate chips, melted or at least softened

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a 8 x 8 dish with parchment paper.

2. Combine the banana, black beans and dates in a food processor and whir until mostly smooth.

3. Add everything but the chocolate chips and process until smooth.

4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the melt-y chocolate chips.

5. Transfer to the baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes (until they reach your desired firmness).