Black Bean Burgers and Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Aioli

Hey everybody! The last transformed classic dish I have to finish off this month is one you're all really going to love. I have been entertaining the thought of transforming a burger, but I didn't really know what to do, so I figured I could make a black bean burger and really experiment with the flavor profiles. There's a restaurant in Madison Valley called Cafe Flora that makes the best sweet potato fries with cayenne aioli, and I knew I wanted to incorporate those kinds of flavors into my meal. And thus, this miraculous creation was born. My mom says that this was her favorite vegetarian burger that she has ever tasted. You could choose just to make the burger, or just the fries, but regardless, you have got to try this. I even made extra aioli the next day and put it on my toast (is that weird...?). Please remember to share your recreations with me on Instagram and Twitter using #teenscancooktoo! 

The full meal

Avocado Aioli 

Ingredients
1 ripe avocado
The juice of 1 large lime 
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 - 2 tbsp water (eyeball it as you go) 
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper (use less if you can't tolerate spice) 
3 tbsp fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a Vita-Mix or blender. Start on a low speed, and gradually increase to medium speed. If it doesn't blend well enough or you want it thinner, add a bit more water.The consistency should be slightly thinner than mayonnaise. Serve with Baked Sweet Potatoes and Black Bean Burgers. 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4 

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
3 - 4 tbsp corn starch 
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp garlic powder 
½ tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the peeled potatoes into fries that are about ½-inch wide and 4 - 5 inches long. If they are larger, the cooking time will be much longer and you will run into problems. Soak the cut potatoes in water for at least 2 - 3 hours. If you're short on time, try to let them soak for at least an hour. Drain the potatoes and pat them fairly dry, but leave enough residual moisture so that the corn starch will stick to them in the next step.

Fries soaking

2. Combine the corn starch, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and mix well. Dump the potatoes in the bag. Seal the bag tightly, leaving some air in the bag so that the fries have room to move around. Shake vigorously so that all the fries are covered in a light coating of corn starch. Transfer to a large bowl and coat with olive oil. 

3. Lay the fries out on large baking sheets, making sure that they do not overlap and are not extremely close. You may need to split them onto two sheets and make two batches in order to ensure that they cook well. Bake for 15 minutes, flip them, and then let them bake for another 7 - 10 minutes. 

4. Use ½ of a recipe of Avocado Aioli (above) and spoon into 4 individual ramekins for each person. Serve with fries.

Black Bean Burgers
Serves 4

Ingredients
For burger:
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp canned Hatch green chiles
3/4 tsp cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 tbsp fresh cilantro
1/4 of a red onion, roughly chopped 
2 tbsp chipotle salsa (or your favorite salsa) 
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs* 
1 egg white 
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
Salt and pepper, to taste 

Remaining ingredients:
4 extra-large leaves romaine lettuce, washed and dried
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup of chipotle salsa (or your favorite salsa, but chipotle salsa lends itself very well to this recipe) 
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ of a recipe of Avocado Aioli 

* I used gluten-free bread crumbs that are slightly denser than Panko crumbs, which I liked better. If you don't have any of these, don't worry - using Panko will work too! 

Preparation 
1. For burgers: Combine half of the beans, Hatch green chiles, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic, cilantro, onion, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth. Add the remaining beans and pulse for just a few seconds. By doing so, you will have slightly larger chunks of beans throughout, adding an interesting and meatier texture. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

2. Add the corn, salsa, egg white and Panko bread crumbs. Mix until well combined. Form the mixture into four patties. If you can, try to refrigerate the patties for at least 30 minutes. This will help them stick together better. If not, don't worry. 

Burger mixture 

3. Using a large non-stick skillet or griddle, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook for about 2-4 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip them and cook them for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. To assemble the burgers, lay a black bean burger patty in the middle of a large lettuce leaf. Spread with a generous amount of aioli, and top with onion and tomato slices. Using a small spoon, scatter 2 tbsp of chipotle salsa over the patty and on the lettuce leaf. Repeat this process with the other burgers. Wrap up and enjoy with Baked Sweet Potato Fries!

Thank you so much for reading all my transformed classic recipes this month! It means a lot to have people interested in what I do and how I want to change the world. Please share your recreations, tell a friend about Teens Can Cook, Too, and follow me on all the social media sites below: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/teenscancooktoo (@teenscancooktoo)
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Stay healthy!
- Madeline