Sweet Potato Burgers

Hello Blog World! It's been awhile I guess but i have some great new recipes to share. I recently went off dairy (and back on now) due to a possible allergy for my little nurser. So, I was forced to eat cheese free but tried some new yummy vegan & dairy recipes. This burger was a huge hit and now on our dinner rotation! This recipe was slightly adapted from a great vegan blog Healthy Happy Life.


Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
makes 7-8 large patties
2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 tsp agave
1/4 cup wheat flour
Additional seasoning (whatever you have on hand - I used a few dashes cayenne, black pepper salt to taste if needed
plentiful Panko crumbs
oil for pan
avocado
Dijon mustard
rain buns or thick bread
romaine
onion
olive oil bell pepper


Directions:
1. Bake or microwave sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Saute the onions & bell peppers.
5. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a pan over high heat.
6. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
7. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes. 
8. Serve on the bun/ bread, toasted with garlic & all the toppings. 


The creator of this recipes suggests mustard but my family isn't a fan of it so I just put a little in the mixture to give it a bit of flavor but not to spread on the bun.

Citrusy Paprika Shrimp Quesadillas
These quesadillas are easy, delicious, and summery! They were a huge hit with my family and will be with your if you love seafood. I saw the recipie in my RRay Magazine.


INGREDIENTS

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika (half a scant palmful)
1 teaspoon onion powder (1/3 palmful)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (eyeball it)
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lime
A small handful of cilantro or flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 slightly underripe avocado, pitted, removed from skin and very thinly sliced or diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
8 large tortillas, heated to soften slightly
2 plum or vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 scallions or green onions, very thinly sliced or chopped
2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cooking spray
Note: you will need metal skewers to prepare this recipe or just pan cook

Serves 6
PREPARATION

Pre-heat an outdoor grill, indoor griddle, grill pan, or pan (what I did) to medium-high heat.

Coat the shrimp lightly in EVOO, then season with the smoked sweet paprika, onion powder and garlic powder; season with salt and pepper (I also added Cayenne for a kick). Thread the shrimp onto metal skewers or skip the skewers if you are lazy like me & are doing it in the house. Grill until pink and firm, about 2 minutes on each side. Douse with the lime juice, then remove the shrimp from the skewers and chop; sprinkle with the cilantro. Dress the avocado with the lemon juice.

Build the quesadillas on the tortillas in assembly line fashion: On one half of each tortilla, arrange the shrimp, tomatoes, scallions or green onions, avocado and cheese. Fold over the other tortilla half, then spray lightly with cooking spray. Grill, turning once, until crisp and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

PS I used the low fat Monterey Jack and it was still really good.