The original plan for today’s post was to share this triple layer carrot cake. I was hoping for a birthday miracle – maybe just this once it would work on the first try? Yea right. Three trials later, I don’t want anything to do with cake. (Let’s be real, that probably won’t last more than a day.) Vegan and gluten-free cake creation is not for the faint of heart, I tell you.
Enter Birthday Burgers. This might have to become a yearly tradition! I think I like this meal better than cake anyway. You’ve probably heard of those BB skin creams and potions that are everywhere these days. Well, I like to think of this as a BB meal. There’s no sugar crash – just a boost of energy for hours, a kick in your step, a glow to the skin. Total BB meal. Nourish that skin from the inside out. Wrapped in curly lettuce and topped with a cilantro-lime-tahini sauce and homemade salsa, it’s just about the most balancing meal I could’ve hoped for to kick off turning 31. It’s going to be a great year.
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Moroccan Yam Veggie Burgers with Cilantro Lime Tahini Sauce
Yield
6-8 patties
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A flavourful Moroccan-style veggie burger served with a tangy and fresh cilantro-lime tahini sauce. You can make these burgers soy-free by using coconut aminos and they are naturally gluten-free when using certified gluten-free rolled oats/oat flour. Burger recipe is inspired by Ryan's Moroccan Yam veggie burgers from the Whitewater Cooks Cookbook.
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGERS:
- 1.5 cups grated yam (I used a sweet potato in a pinch)
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 small piece of fresh ginger (1 cm cube), peeled
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup rolled oats, ground into a flour (use gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or low-sodium tamari
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
FOR THE CILANTRO-LIME TAHINI SAUCE (makes 1/2 cup):
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled
- 2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- FOR THE BURGERS: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Peel the yam. Using the regular-sized grate hole, grate the yam until you have 1 1/2 lightly packed cups. I used the grater attachment disc in my food processor to save time (it takes less than 20 seconds). Place into large bowl.
- Remove grater attachment from food processor, and add the regular "s" blade. Mince the garlic, cilantro, and ginger until finely chopped.
- Add drained chickpeas and process again until finely chopped, but leave some texture. Scoop this mixture into a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flax and water mixture.
- Grind the oats into a flour using a blender or a food processor. Or you can use 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon pre-ground oat flour. Stir this into the mixture along with the flax mixture.
- Now stir in the oil, aminos/tamari, salt/pepper, and spices until thoroughly combined. Adjust to taste if desired.
- Shape 6-8 patties, packing the mixture firmly together. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully flip, and bake for another 18-23 minutes until golden and firm. Cool on pan.
- FOR THE CILANTRO SAUCE: Mince garlic in a food processor, followed by the cilantro. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and process until smooth and creamy.
- Serve the patties with a generous dollop of sauce and optional homemade salsa (from OSG cookbook, p.95) with a bun or lettuce wrap.
Tip:
Note: I was missing a bit of crunch in these burgers, so next time I think I will add 1/4 cup sunflower seeds into the mix.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Don’t forget – today is the last day to enter the #osgcookbook Vitamix Contest. Keep those pictures coming!
I made the burgers … My boyfriend and I loved them. Thanks for the note on sunflower seeds – I love the ideas of adding some crunch too. The sauce completes the burgers very well!
YUM! These sound so good! I will be making these, as well as so many recipes from your cook book which I just got – SO EXCITED! :)
Happy 31!! I’d say between your big news and this birthday meal, 31 is definitely going to be a great year. :)
OMG, these look absolutely divine!!! Cilantro lime tahini sauce?! Whaaaat?? I want them to magically appear in front of me right now…
I saw that cake on IG and about died! At least it looked amazing? I’m sure it’s close to tasting amazing too, you’re probably just a perfectionist. But I can relate to the frustrations of vegan/gluten-free/refined sugar-free baking. I have had so many fails- everything turns out so gummy. GF flours just don’t absorb moisture the same as regular flour.
Anyway, I think the burgers are a perfect subtitute. We could all use a little BB burgers no matter what age. Happy 31st Angela!
Yum! Especially the sauce, that sounds amazing. I’ll have to try it out :)
Veggie-on-veggie the fabulous way! Your creativity is admirable. Happy birthday, Angela!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
I love recipes for veggie burgers! You always put such fun spins on them. Can’t wait to try this!
Very colorful and looks delicious!!! :)
Happy happy birthday!! Birthdays are my favorite time of year, I hope yours is a blast!
In other news, these are like all my favorite flavors mashed into one dish!! Don’t you love when things fall apart so better things can come together? You’ll get the cake next time, I’m sure – 4th times the charm? Either way, these burgers are definitely going on the list for next week :)
I made a double batch of this morning (very quick to put together) and they were gone in an instant-these get six toddlers’ seal of approval! Thank you!
Just made these for supper and they were delicious! Great recipe and easy to make.
These sound fantastic, Ange! Loving that first photo and the green sauce is so fun + vibrant! Happy birthday, my dear. I commend you on your efforts to make a gf/vegan cake. Not an easy task!
This looks amazing! I’ve never used yams in my veggie burgers. Definitely trying this one!
Is the yam/sweet potato supposed to remain in the food processor when the cilantro, garlic, ginger, then chickpeas are added to process? Thanks!
Nope you can add it into the bowl – I edited the recipe to clarify. Thanks!
I made these right after I posted my question; decided I had to have them immediately! They were totally delicious & nourishing and I’ll be making them again soon (I may try to freeze some). Initially, I removed the yam from food processor and set it aside, but then I second-guessed myself and returned it to processor and pulsed it a bit with the chickpeas – still turned out great. Thank you Angela! All the best.
I’m on a constant search for veggie burgers that taste good, and something tells me I couldn’t do much better than this one! They seem to be packed with so much flavour, and I love the sweet potato-chickpea combo for the ‘base’. These are definitely calling my name!
Hi there!
I’m looking forward to trying out this recipe! Is there any sub that you know of for the oats as I’m grain free, I was thinking garbanzo bean flour? Or more flax?
Happy belated birthday!
Thanks!
Katie Mae
Happy Birthday! This looks like the perfect Memorial Day meal as the rest of my family bites into meat!
Another winner! I made this tonight, with the addition of the sunflower seeds, and had much success. The sauce is outstanding! I may bake or sauté the yams very briefly before adding them. This is one wonderful blog!
These are delicious even without sunflower seeds! Thanks for sharing it and enjoy your pregnancy..
these were incredible. They’re some of the most flavorful veggie burgers I’ve ever had and I’ve made them 3 times over. Twice to fill the freezer. They bake up nicely straight from the freezer in the oven after just 15-20 minutes at 350 (I like them pretty soft with a good crust).
I used parsley instead of cilantro because that’s what I had on hand. The sauce really makes them! Great recipe Angela! Thank you!! Canadians do it best!