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In an effort to take some of the pressure off myself  encourage The.Boy to exercise his first amendment rights (you know, freedom to eat whatever he wants…even though in our apartment it’s really freedom to eat whatever I’ve decided to cook for him), I’ve tasked him with choosing one dish to add to our menu plan each week.

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Now, lest you think I would give him free range to choose any recipe in the history of recipes, which could admittedly be quite daunting (and would inevitably end up with him requesting pizza and/or steak for dinner every week), in actuality I introduced him to my Pinterest boards and said “Go crazy.”

He, apparently, took that literally.

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You see, when I first came up with this little scheme of mine, I had visions of him meticulously going through each and every pin and carefully choosing the one that he was really craving that week.

You know, because that’s what I would have done.

And instead, what I got was a kind of Russian Roulette version of a selection process in which he scrolls through my boards on my iPad like a man unhinged, closes his eyes, and then points his finger at the screen.

The end.

Way to leave our whole lives dinners up to fate, babe.

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The first recipe he “chose” was for these veggie burgers. And before we took our first bite, he looked at me and said, “So if they’re good, you can tell people I picked them. And if not…it’s all your fault.” (Typical.)

Well, let me tell you that he had two that night. Pretzels buns and all.

I guess he liked them.

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And really what’s not to like? The burgers are stuffed with some of my favorite superfoods – chickpeas, quinoa, sweet potatoes – and are encased in a pretzel roll.

A Home.Made.Pretzel.Roll.

It just doesn’t get much better than that.

Unfortunately, this also means that The.Boy feels entirely justified in his method of recipe “selection”…but if it turns out this well every time…well I just can’t argue with that.

**The winner of the Whole Foods Gift Card giveaway from a few weeks ago is Amy of uTry.It! I’ll be emailing you!!

PicMonkey Collage

One year ago…Red Wine Buttercream Frosting
Two years ago…Coriander Tofu Tostadas with Refried Beans and Grilled Fennel, Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Three years ago…White Bean Dip on Turkish-Style Pita Bread, Coconut Rice Pudding Cake with Raspberry Compote
Four years ago…Artichoke and Kalamata Olive Tapenade

Sweet Potato Chickpea Quinoa Burgers with Spiced Yogurt Sauce
Makes 8, adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium sweet potato
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 cup dried quinoa, cooked
  • 1/2 cup panko
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp sriracha
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  2. Poke the sweet potato all over with a fork. Cover in damp paper towels and microwave 3 minutes on each side, until tender. When cool enough to touch, remove skin.
  3. Place the onion mixture, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, cumin, ancho chili powder, 1 tsp salt, cilantro, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until slightly chunky but still smooth. Place mixture in a bowl. Stir in quinoa, panko, and egg until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide burger mixture into 8 patties place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 350. Bake burgers for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through, flipping halfway through.
  5. For the spiced yogurt sauce, stir together the sriracha, dijon mustard, greek yogurt, honey and salt.

Salted Pretzel Rolls
Makes 8 rolls, adapted from Bake Your Day

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp canola oil
  • 3 quarts water
  • 3/4 cup baking soda
  • coarse sea salt

Instructions

  1. Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.
  2. Combine the water, brown sugar, yeast and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment and stir until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3-4 minutes or until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl after mixing for a minute or so, add in flour a tablespoon at a time until it doesn’t do this (I had to add about an extra 1/4 cup).
  4. Remove the dough from the stand mixer and form into a ball. Oil a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough to the bowl and roll to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour or until doubled in size.
  5. Preheat oven to 425.
  6. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and add the baking soda.
  7. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 8 rolls, forming each into a ball. Place each on the parchment-lined baking sheets.
  8. Boil the rolls, 4 at a time, for 30 seconds, making sure to splash with water so that they are evenly coated. Remove from the solution with a fine-mesh strainer and put back on the baking sheets.
  9. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and cut an x into the top of each roll. Bake for 15-16 minutes or until rolls have reached the desired shade of brown, making sure to watch closely at the end so that they don’t burn.
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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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80 Responses to Sweet Potato Chickpea Quinoa Burgers on Homemade Pretzel Rolls

  1. Simply Life says:

    my husband’s absolute favorite meal I make is a black bean burger on a pretzel roll- and he used to “not like beans!” 🙂 This looks great!

  2. Boy does this look good! Sweet potatoes AND chickpeas AND quinoa – all on a homemade pretzel roll?! Perfection.

  3. HA! That’s kind of a great idea actually! I will have to let Eric pick out one meal a week. No more than that, though. 😉

    Love the look of these burgers. Nice job “The.Boy” (btw, when are you going to reveal a name . ;-))

  4. Haha, you better be careful what you pin, Joanne. 🙂 Actually, it sounds like a fun “random recipe” task each week…. although really you are too nice. I get Rob to cook at least one meal each week. 🙂

  5. hahaha good thing this was good!! These look lovely! Excited to see what the boy chooses next..it’s like a new segment on EWWO…”stuff the.boy made me make”. lol

  6. LOL, the boy totally cracks me up! I tried to task Shane with picking recipes for our weekly meal plan but I needed a better system. I like your idea of using the Pinterest boards! I don’t think I could convince Shane to eat these veggie-loaded burgers but I’m all over them – yum!!

  7. This burger is full of my favorite ingredients – love it!

  8. I’m loving the sound of those pretzel rolls, yummmm! I try to get my boyfriend to pick out dinners all the freaking time. The result? My having a mini panic attack as he wastes all of his time on twitter and we end up one meal short for the week. (Though, that’s probably his secret plan so we can go out for Mexican food)

  9. Holy yum! I’d say he has excellent taste!

  10. Amy says:

    You gave him the “task” of picking? Oh no…you gave him the power! Sometimes, if I’m feeling nice, I’ll hand Paul my binder and ask him what he’s in the mood for. He usually says “bacon and cheese soup.” He’s no help at all.

  11. marie says:

    I’ve made pretzels, but not pretzel rolls, these look great. Your boyfriend sure is one lucky guy, hope he knows how good he has it 🙂

  12. I’d say his free-wheeling roulette style picking did well – these look great! (Also, I wish I could pick dinner that easily sometimes. I spend way too much agonizing over such decisions!)

  13. That Girl says:

    I’ll have to add these to my veggie burger exploration list. I already like the idea because I know I like falafel.

  14. Kevin Lynch says:

    Those burgers look good! I have got to make those pretzel buns!

  15. Foodycat says:

    I really don’t like quinoa but everything else about this meal sings to me! He did well, I look forward to seeing his next random selection.

  16. SallyBR says:

    I am curious to know if The Boy will be vegetarian or if he eats meat and in that case, will you make a t-bone steak for him?

    🙂

    Not sure I can get these burgers past my beloved, maybe so. But the pretzel buns, definitely!

  17. Jessie says:

    Haha! Russian roulette version of dinner-choosing – now THAT’s taking your life in your hands. Although, this is a great way to try new and possibly unusual foods and meal combos! I can’t wait to see what he “chooses” next 😉

    Have a great week, Joanne!

  18. P says:

    That’s incredibly generous of you to even be giving him a choice of what to eat, haha! But I think he made a good decision with this one. Pretzel rolls are amazing :D!

  19. Hahaha I really like that you asked him to pick a recipe and then does it by random selection, and then further proceeds to take claim if they are good but deny if not. Typical :-).

  20. I need to do this with the husband. Because when I let him have any control over the week’s menu, it’s always the exact same things: pizza, spaghetti, pizza, hot dogs, pizza, enchiladas. And pizza. Maybe if I make this though, he’ll add it to his rotation. I wouldn’t complain about that! 🙂

  21. Pam says:

    Drooling… those pretzel rolls look amazing. Glad they turned out so well.

  22. hahaha, i’ve sent mike to my pinterest boards too 🙂 these look awesome, and i’ve been meaning to try my hand at pretzel rolls!!

  23. What an adventurous dish. Glad the hard work paid off! If we wanted to cook these patties ahead of time, how long could they sit in the refrigerator?

  24. Karen says:

    Those rolls look amazing!

  25. Beth says:

    Seriously, those look amazing! Hope I can make them myself someday. (P.S. I love the recipe selection criteria. May try it myself!)

  26. homemade pretzel rolls?? that is seriously awesome! such a delicious way to use them!!

  27. bellini says:

    Russian Roulette worked out well this time around.

  28. Um…YUM! I too have tried to make my boyfriend use my pinterest boards to choose dinner – same results. Oh welllll.

  29. Eileen says:

    Why have I never eaten a homemade pretzel roll?? This must not stand! 🙂 The burgers look great too–we really need tog et some new burger concoctions into out rotation.

  30. These burgers sound crazy delicious!

  31. Dining Alone says:

    I would be happy with just the pretzel roll! These burgers look awesome, he chose well. Hopefully he is as lucky next time 🙂

  32. Those rolls! I have GOT to try them! They look like the perfect compliment to your yummy, wholesome chickpea burgers. Lovely recipes, thanks for sharing!

  33. Not my normal way to choose dinner for the evening, but excellent choice!!

  34. Haha I guess you both did well – him with his random picking, and you with your actual cooking of the dish!

  35. Guru Uru says:

    Bookmarked bookmarked my friend, they look perfect 😀

    Cheers
    CCU

  36. Sounds great, so many ingredients, complex. Maybe a small surprise – person who picks dishes has to cook?

  37. Deborah says:

    I have been dying to make pretzel rolls and these look like perfection. And the burgers look pretty amazing, too!! (I sometimes choose recipes that way, but with cookbooks. It’s kind of fun!)

  38. Lol!! I like the way he picks what pin to make! Those do look great and the homemade pretzel bun….wowzers!

  39. Debbie says:

    This is some good stuff here. I’ve make chickpea burgers but not using sweet potatoes. I’m pinning this to try sometime soon. I like your boyfriends method of picking out a dinner….that sounds like fun!

  40. Erica says:

    They look delicious and sound healthy, Joanne!My husband would love this recipe!

  41. haha! my husband isn’t as impressed with pinterest as i am. boys are weird! i love this dinner and wish i could have been there to eat it. love all the good stuff packed in the burgers!

  42. Monet says:

    Smile. What a great idea Joanne. I need to get Ryan to browse through pinterest! Without a doubt, he’d pick something like this. He loves pretzel rolls! Thank you for sharing!

  43. I laughed out loud at the Russian Roulette of Pinterest- so what my husband would have done also! But still impressed by his choice- pretzel rolls are the best, homemade have to be even better.

  44. Kristin says:

    These burgers sound amazing. I’ve had beet burgers, bean burgers and broccoli burgers but never sweet potato quinoa burgers!

  45. kale says:

    ooh, pretzel rolls! yum!!
    quinoa burgers sound amazing.

  46. Hotly Spiced says:

    I love how The Boy is allowed to pick one meal a week. That’s fair. The homemade rolls look awesome and I do love the sound of these veggie burgers xx

  47. Candace says:

    I gave Dave access to my Pinterest boards and have encouraged him on more than one occasion to please help me find stuff that he would enjoy eating for dinner. He hasn’t looked at it once. 🙁 He has made a huge step though and decided that he wants to eat less meat so maybe I can encourage him again. I’m definitely sending him the link to these beauties. They look amazing!

  48. I think he made a good choice. Jeff would try that, not like what he picked, and pick again. Ha. The pretzel rolls look amazing!

  49. I love this idea! I totally need to make Chris choose dinners and desserts from my Pinterest boards. Would make my life a bit easier 🙂 Plus, these burgers look delicious!

    Sues

  50. You guys are too cute! Boys just don’t get Pinterest. These look great. I want a pretzel roll with my dinner too!

  51. G’day! Very unusual and healthy, TRUE!
    Looks yum and might have to try these sometime soon too!
    Cheers! Joanne
    What’s On The List
    http://www.whatsonthelist.net

  52. Homemade pretzel rolls? I am so there at the table salivating while I wait! How awesome! ‘Boy’ ate two? I’d eat FOUR of these sammies!

  53. haha! I love your scheme! My husband has no idea what the heck pinterest is. But this idea of yours is genius! love these burgers!

  54. Mira says:

    I just have to say… you make him food this delicious, and he is really worried about losing weight??

    I have to admit though, pinterest boards can be a bit daunting so I can see where he is coming from… and these burgers look wonderful so I guess it worked out for him. I love sweet potato and the protein from using both chickpeas and quinoa. I wonder if these would hold together on a grill, since I think I might try to bring them to the next BBQ I am invited to!

  55. Kari says:

    His choosing might have been random, but I think he got it spot on!

  56. london bakes says:

    Ha, I love the idea of russian roulette dinners! I might have to start trying that with some of my pin boards. This looks like a very good choice.

  57. Nizz says:

    Funny story! 😉 You really got to love those rolls! I dare to say I shall try to bake them… Although I’ve never ate quinoa, maybe I’ll give it a try.
    Have a nice week!
    Inês

  58. Okay, these don’t seem as hard as I thought they would. Which means I’m going to have to try to convince *someone* in this house that we need veggie burgers. Because I feel I’d be denying myself otherwise. Or I’ll just make them and be all, “Surprise!” I can’t decide which way to go.

  59. Katerina says:

    Well, guys think so much differently than we do! It was only natural to pick a meal the way he did it. But I think in this case he chose a winner!

  60. Both the rolls AND the burgers are perfect! And whenever I let my husband choose, we end up with a real hodgepodge for dinner 🙂

  61. I think it is so cool that the two of you are able to negotiate your different preferences and dining strategies so well!

  62. Monica says:

    This is really impressive – homemade pretzel rolls AND the quinoa burgers! I’d love to try it. It sounds and looks delicious!

  63. Ashley says:

    Ah, boys. At least yours came up with a method to make a “decision”. Mine is… difficult. Ha! These look fantastic. I love a good veggie burger!

  64. These look delicious, I love the ingredients in the burgers…sweet potato and chickpeas, yum!

  65. I’ve had that recipe pinned for a while so he might have just picked my next dinner too, looks great!

  66. you and these pretzel rolls woman!
    seriously you make them so well, we should start your own line.
    speaking of line, when are you going to get published? hello?

  67. Amy says:

    I made bread and buns all the time, but haven’t try my hands on Pretzel Rolls before. Guess I didn’t know what to serve them with. Thanks for the gorgeous recipes and inspiration. I love your healthy sweet potato chickpea quinoa burgers too!

  68. hah! That is an adorable story and a really delicious looking veggie burger. I love using chickpeas as the base, and add in quinoa? ummm yum.

  69. Reeni says:

    I don’t know which I like better! Luckily I don’t have to chose. . .He is right on but I think anything he picks off your boards would turn out pretty darn tasty!

  70. OH MY WHAT, so going to make these pretzel buns. SO going to. Thanks, as always, for your amazing recipes.

  71. Lora says:

    Wow. what a terrific idea to put those delicious burgers on a homemade pretzel roll. Fab.

  72. Johanna says:

    I so relate to handing over the power to choose what’s for dinner! Sometimes I get burnt out of doing all the meal planning and prep and ask the hubby to choose AND make dinner… it’s certainly a risk! The Pinterest board is a good idea! I generally give guidelines – “please make something somewhat healthy” by which I mean “please not just two pounds of pasta in butter and sausage, again” but which he interprets as “you have to make a salad.” He’s gotten better though! Last night he chose a crispy buffalo chickpea bite salad with homemade blue cheese dressing ON HIS OWN!

  73. Cannot wait to make these burgers!! They look amazing. Looking forward to meeting you at EWR in Philly…

  74. grace says:

    what unique burgers! i’ll always choose a pretzel roll if it’s on the table, and that yogurt sauce sounds magnificent! you should really plant some outrageous stuff on your pinterest boards and see if he picks any of it. 🙂

  75. madscar says:

    Love it! Thanks for recipe 🙂

  76. Nutmeg Nanny says:

    Oh wow! These look really tasty, I am excited to try this recipe out 🙂

  77. I am increasingly leaning toward veggie fare and there are no 3 ingredients I love more than chickpea, sweet potatoes and quinoa! These burgers have it all — well done!

  78. Laura says:

    That is really funny and these look super tasty!

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