Veggie burgers have so much more potential than a frozen patty of flour, preservatives, and mushy veggie starch. I’ve written previous articles on making burgers out of pinto beans and quinoa, or incorporating broccoli slaw. A veggie burger is as simple as some cooked vegetables and some thing(s) to bind everything together into a patty.

This recipe combines some of end-of-summer stars and healthy whole grain oats into a sweet and tasty patty that can be eaten on its own, in a bun or wrap, or over a salad of greens or grains. As always, substitute in whatever other veggies you have and like for those you don’t have or enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 small-med eggplant
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded radishes
• 1 cup whole oats and/or flour
• 2 tbsp spices of choice
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Step 1: Dice up the eggplant, onion, and sweet potato. Peel the sweet potato if you don’t want pieces of peel in your burgers. You can pre-boil the potato if you want it to cook faster, or you can put it into a pan with a lid and slow-cook prior to adding the eggplant and onion. Cook all veggies until soft enough to mash with a fork.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mash all the veggies together with a fork or potato masher. Add the oats & shredded radish, and mix until it begins to become sticky, such that you can shape patties from it. You can also add an egg if you need extra binding.

For spices, I added in some garlic salt, paprika, and black pepper.

Step 3: In a frying pan, pour the oil and heat it to medium. Shape the patties into small rounds with your hands. Fry the patties a few at a time, making sure they aren’t touching. Fry until crispy and brown, about 5-6 minutes each side.

Step 4: Place the patties on a wire rack or paper towels to drain extra oil off the patties.

You can use these just as you would a regular burger and top with pickles, lettuce, tomato, hot peppers, ketchup, mayo, etc.