Craving a burger, but you’re trying to save on calories, fat and cholesterol? Then try this chickpea, quinoa and sweet potato veggie burger. This recipe will knock your veggie-burger-lovin’ socks off!

Yield: 6 servings

Calories per serving: 202

Ingredients

• 1 small sweet potato, baked
• 1/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1/4 cup dry barley
• 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 fresh red peppers
• 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
• Butter or romaine leaf lettuce
• 1 avocado

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Bake the sweet potato for 45-60 minutes.
2. While the sweet potato is baking, cook the barley for about 30-60 minutes (depends on barley purchased)
3. In a separate pot, cook the quinoa for about 15 minutes.
4. Remove the stems and seeds from the red peppers. Cut the whole pepper in quarters and the half a pepper in half and roast all six pieces in the over for about 15-20 minutes.
5. Once the sweet potato is baked and cooled, combine the garbanzo beans, sweet potato filling, parsley, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper, flour and one tablespoon of oil in a food processor.
6. Drain and cool the barley and quinoa, and then in a separate bowl, mix the bean mixture with the quinoa and barley.
7. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Place heaping spoonfuls of the mixture onto the hot pan and use the back of the spoon to pat them flat and form four-inch diameter patties. Brown both sides of each patty.
8. While pan is still hot, throw some sliced mushrooms onto the pan to lightly brown them.
9. Serve patties on romaine lettuce, with one piece of the roasted pepper, sliced into thirds. Slice the avocado and place that and some roasted mushrooms onto the burger and enjoy!