Recipe: Sweet potato and quinoa burgers

Ever since mother-and-daughter duo Kelly Childs and Erinn Weatherbie opened their vegan and gluten-free restaurant and bakery in Burlington, Ontario, they've been flooded with requests for recipes.

"People were coming in and asking us for recipes. How do you make your chocolate chip cookies? How do you make your burgers? How do you make your cupcakes?" said Weatherbie, who runs Kelly's Bake Shoppe and Lettuce Love Cafe with her mother.

"And every single day we were asked, 'When are you guys going to write a cookbook?'"

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Now the duo have finally done just that — recently releasing Made with Love, containing everything from savoury main dishes to delicious desserts, all plant-based and gluten-free.

"We have about 100 sweet and savoury recipes in this incredible cookbook, both from the restaurant and from the bake shop, as well as our personal kitchen," Weatherbie said.

"It's a complete labour of love."

Weatherbie and Childs joined North by Northwest host Sheryl MacKay recently at Barbara Jo's Books to Cooks in Vancouver to demonstrate how to make sweet potato and quinoa burgers — one of their most popular items.

Here's the recipe they shared with the show:

Sweet potato and quinoa burgers 

We call these "clean" burgers because they are light and fresh and you won't feel guilty when you go for a second one. We fell in love with burgers like these when we were at a yoga retreat in Ibiza, Spain. When we got back home we couldn't wait to recreate them! You can get a head start by prepping the quinoa and sweet potatoes the day before you want to serve them.

• Active time: 25 minutes
• Total time: 70 minutes
• Makes 8 burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, or ¾ cup sweet potato purée
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup oat flour
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 gluten-free burger buns

Optional toppings: 

• Avocado slices
• Lettuce leaves
• Tomato slices
• Red onion slices
• Chipotle eggless mayo
• Cilantro aioli
• Guacamole

Method:

1. If you are using cubed raw sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer and roast for about 25 minutes or until soft. In a large bowl, purée the sweet potatoes by hand or with a hand mixer.

2. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Mix the quinoa into the freshly made or ready made sweet potato purée and stir well. 

3. Add the oat flour, cilantro, green onions, ground flax seed, garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, basil, and salt and pepper. Combine the mixture well with your hands then form into eight burgers.

4. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry the burgers for about 6 minutes on each side, or until they're golden brown.

5. Serve on gluten-free buns with optional toppings (but not ketchup or mustard or relish).

With files from CBC's North by Northwest

To hear the full story listen to the audio labelled: Mother-and-daughter duo who run popular vegan and gluten-free bakery and cafe publish first cookbook