thanks, pinterest...

yes, i'm only just now jumping on the pinterest bandwagon. i'm already majorly addicted. with 13 boards and 150+ pins, i'd say i'm an official pinner now. are you on pinterest yet? if not, close this tab immediately, and go to pinterest. 

i've pinned all kinds of crap. funny photos, photos of hot guys. diy craft stuff, decorating ideas. the list goes on. anywho, i recently found this great recipe for veggie burgers. i've eaten store bought veggie burgers and they were soooooo foul tasting. (yeah, b*ca b*rger, i'm talking to you!!!!). i found a recipe online for veggie burgers last year, and made 'em. disgusting. sooo, when i saw this recipe on pinterest i was hesitant to TRY the veggie burger deal again. but i love everything that the recipe calls for, so how bad could they be, right?! i'm sooo glad i decided to forget my past horrible experiences and try again. these are sooooooo good! please make them.

here is the original link - it's kind of a long, drawn out post. 

here is the recipe:

Sweet Tater Black Bean Burgers [yields 8 burgers – vegan, gf]

• 15oz black beans, drained + rinsed
• 3c cubed sweet tater, cooked + skin on [~1.5lbs]
• 1/2c frozen or fresh corn
• 2/3c finely chopped onion [1/2 medium onion]
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2c cooked quinoa
• 6T rolled oats, partially ground
• 2T sunflower seeds
• 1/2t salt
• black pepper
• 1t cumin
• 1t oregano
• 1/4t coriander
• 1t chili powder
• 1/4t cayenne [optional]
• 1T olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 375* once you finish cooking the quinoa + potato.
2. Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.
3. Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.
4. In a large bowl, mash the sweet tater.  Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy.
5. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne [if using] and olive oil, until combined.
6. Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and ground oats, until just combined.
7. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
8. Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.
9. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through.
10. Remove from oven + serve! 

i cooked the 8 patties, had 1 for dinner and froze the other 7 - i waited til they were completely cooled, then individually wrapped them in saran wrap, covered in foil, then put in a large ziplock freezer bag. the next night i wanted another veggie burger (no surprise there), so i defrosted one in the microwave and sauteed it in olive oil (just a few minutes on each side). OMG, they're even better the second night. sauteing them forms a crunchy-ish crust on the outside. it's sooooo dang good. i would've rather defrosted it in the fridge, but it was a last minute decision to have one. now that i'm talking about them, i kinda want one. :)~ yum. make 'em and let me know whatcha think!!!!!!