When I first tried to become vegetarian (many years ago), the concept was so new to me that I didn’t really know what to eat. My go-to easy “meals” were those tiny cardboard-flavored frozen veggie burgers. I’d eat them for dinner and I’d bring them to cookouts… they tasted terrible and everyone around me thought I was a little crazy. It wasn’t long until I quit frozen veggie burgers altogether.
A few weeks ago, we gave the Beyond Burger a whirl and wow(!), have plant-based burgers come a long way!
First off, you’ll actually find them in the meat case of the grocery store (which is a place I’m not usually accustomed to going). Second – they really do have a burger-like taste and texture even though they’re completely vegan, made with no soy, gluten, or GMO ingredients – the main protein is pea protein and the pink color comes from beet juice. They’re juicy and substantial, and a quick solution for late summer grilling because you literally just bring them home and put them on the grill. Easy as that.
To go with our burgers, I made a simple guacamole topping:
A tip for grilling the Beyond Burger – they’re easiest to handle if you keep them chilled in the fridge until the moment you’re ready to throw them on the grill.
Because every good burger meal needs some fries, we made some spicy grilled sweet potato wedges to go on the side. The trick is to parboil the sweet potatoes before slicing and grilling. This way, the wedges become fully cooked as the outside chars. After they come off the grill, I sprinkled them with chili powder, smoked paprika, and a little cayenne.
At 20 grams of plant protein per patty, this was really a substantial (and fun!) grilling meal. Click here to find The Beyond Burger at a grocery store near you.
Guacamole Beyond Burgers w/ Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges
- 3 small sweet potatoes
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Pinches of chili powder
- Pinches of smoked paprika
- Pinches of cayenne pepper, optional
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ripe avocados
- Juice of 1 lime, more if desired
- ¼ cup diced white onion
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro, including stems
- ½ to 1 jalapeño, diced
- Pinch of cumin
- Sea salt (I prefer coarse sea salt for guacamole)
- 4 to 6 Beyond Burgers
- 4 to 6 hamburger buns
- Sliced red onion
- Sliced tomato
- Butter lettuce
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and parboil the sweet potatoes until they’re barely fork tender. Remove from the water. When cool to the touch, slice into wedges.
- Make the guacamole: In a medium bowl, combine the avocados, lime juice, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, cumin, and pinches of sea salt. Mash until combined. Season to taste.
- Preheat a grill to medium heat. Drizzle the sweet potatoes with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill and grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until well charred. Grill the Beyond Burgers according to the package directions, about 3 minutes per side.
- After removing the sweet potatoes from the grill, sprinkle with the chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, and more salt to taste.
- Serve the Beyond Burgers with the guacamole, desired fixings, and sweet potato wedges.
Note: To bake the sweet potato wedges in the oven: Skip the parboiling process. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake 35 minutes or until browned around the edges. Sprinkle with the spices and season to taste.
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This post was created in partnership with Beyond Meat, all opinions are our own – we loved the Beyond Burger!
