BBQ Sweet Potato Kale Burgers with Creamy Vegan Ranch
Bursting with smoky, spicy and sweet BBQ flavor, these nutritious burgers taste amazing slathered with a quick tangy homemade ranch dressing. Gluten-free, Oil-free, Vegan, and delicious!
Servings 6 burgers
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes/yams
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 2 cups packed chopped kale
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like heat)
- 1/4 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup quick oats
Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Original Ripple Milk
- 1/3 cup raw cashews (soaked at least 10 minutes in hot water)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (about the juice of one lemon)
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried dill)
To serve
- 6 whole wheat hamburger buns (optional)
- avocado slices
- lettuce or spring mix
- additional BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Cook sweet potatoes by baking them in the microwave for about 12 minutes, or until both are soft. Cut them open to let cool.
- Cook kale by putting chopped kale in a dry non-stick skillet. Stir over medium-high heat until it is about half the original volume and is wilted and tender, about 3-4 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375. Into a food processor, scoop out the sweet potato and discard the skins. You should have roughly 2 cups of cooked sweet potato. Combine all the ingredients except 1/2 of the rice. Process until well combined but not totally smooth. You want some texture. Stir in the rest of the rice to add even more texture.
- Scoop the mixture using a 1/3 or 1/2 cup measure (depending on how big you want the burgers) and make 6 to 8 burgers. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Carefully flip them and then bake 5-10 more minutes until they are the desired firmness. If I'm serving these as burgers on a bun, I want them to be more durable than if I'm just going to eat them with a fork.
Ranch Dressing:
- In a small bullet or twister jar, or a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until very smooth.
To serve:
- Top burgers with lots of additional BBQ sauce, slathers of ranch dressing, avocado, spring mix, and all your other favorite burger toppings. They are delicious with or without a hamburger bun.
