Hello

Well its Thursday again and no one has posted since last week! What is going on peeps. I thought we had ample amounts to say?

So this weeks challenge is to read scriptures for 30 min. I am still doing the challenge and doing pretty well how is everyone else doing? Anyone still doing it? Well I wanted to do this challenge for my personal progress with reading my scriptures. I have never been very good at it. I mean I read a couple verses here and there but it always seems I can never really remember what I am reading. This week however has been different. I have been reading and remembering the next day what I read the day before. I talk to Christopher about it which helps me remember even more. I don't know why I have such a hard time making time for my reading and studying. I put so much effort into getting back in shape and eating right and all those type of things. I forget that I need to prioritize my own personal study of the scriptures too. It helps me to be happy. These last 4 days has helped me to remember that.

So I am making these tomorrow for dinner:

      I will probably make it with some grilled veggies and some fruit! Its seriously good! and good for you! 

                Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

Makes 8-10 patties
Ingredients
1 sweet potato, chopped and boiled until fork-tender
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

 

2 carrots, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup oats, coarsely ground (see picture in directions)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs (whole wheat if you can find it), divided in half
1/2 cup corn, fresh, frozen & thawed, or canned & drained
2 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 t. cayenne (if you like spice–omit for little eaters)
olive oil

Directions

Heat oven to 350 F. Either spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.

In a large flat-bottomed skillet (cast irons are great), saute onions and carrots on medium-low heat with a little olive oil until onions have a nice golden color. Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash one can of drained black beans (a fork, potato masher, or your hands will do the job), then add the other can of drained black beans and just lightly mash them, leaving some whole. Add the sauteed veggies and all the other ingredients, except for 1/2 of the bread crumbs, and mix well, mashing some of the sweet potatoes to help bind the mixture.

Put the remaining bread crumbs on a small plate or pie pan.

Pulse oats in a blender, food processor, or coffee bean grinder once or twice until they are coarsely ground like this.

The mixture should be thick and slightly sticky. This looks a little gross, but let’s be honest, ground raw meat doesn’t look much better! 

Form the patties. Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup, slightly over-filled, to measure out each patty. Patties should be about 1 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter.

In the same pan you cooked the veggies, add just enough oil to lightly coat the pan and turn the burner back to medium low. Dip the patties into the panko crumbs, gently pressing the crumbs into the patties. Add panko-crusted patties to the pan (2-4 at a time depending on the size of your pan), letting them get lightly golden brown, then flipping. The first side browns quicker.

Transfer the patties to the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve on hamburger buns with your choice of toppings. Avocado, tomato, roasted red pepper, lettuce, chipotle mayo (just blend a chipotle pepper with 1/2 cup of mayo), are all great with these.