*I have found that the burgers hold together best if the sweet potato is steamed versus boiled or roasted. This recipe will work with sweet potatoes cooked in any way but the less moisture in the sweet potatoes, the better the patties will hold together as they are cooked. 

1. Feel free to prepare the ingredients for these burgers in advance and refrigerate them until you are ready to form the patties. Peel sweet potatoes, chop them into larger (1-2 inch) chunks and steam for 10-15 minutes or just until fork tender. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to your package instructions and toast the walnuts or seeds. Once the walnuts or seeds are cool, grind them using a mortar and pestle, food processor, or chop them as finely as you can. Ideally, allow all of these ingredients to cool before proceeding. 
2. To form the burger patties, add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and use a potato masher to crush and combine everything. The beans will still be mostly intact and that is fine, they don’t need to be crushed into a paste.
3. Lightly oil your hands if desired and using a measuring cup for ease, scoop scant ½ cup amounts of the mixture. Turn the mixture out into your palm and use your hands to form it into a compact patty. Lay the formed patty on a silicone baking mat or plate and continue with the remainder of the burger mixture. 
4. Heat a frying pan or flat griddle over medium low heat (these burgers will be too soft for a grooved grill). Once hot, lay the burgers on the pan or griddle and cook for 3-5 minutes on the first side until some dark char appears. Carefully flip the burgers and if the edges get a little messy just use a spatula to pat them back into place. Cook on the second side for 3-5 minutes. If your frying pan has taller edges, push the burger against the edge of the pan and slowly rotate it along the edge to cook the sides of the burger. Additionally, brush the burgers with my chipotle BBQ sauce or a sauce of your choice. 
5. To serve, smother your buns with my oil-free chipotle mayo and/or more chipotle BBQ sauce. Layer lettuce, tomato, pickles, pickled red onion or any other toppings you love. 
6. To freeze these patties before they are cooked, freeze them in a single layer on a lined sheet pan. Once frozen (1-2 hours) transfer the patties to a freezer safe bag or container with wax paper or baking paper between layers. Cook from frozen in an air fryer at 350 F for 20 minutes flipping halfway through (baking in a conventional oven may take a little bit longer). Alternatively, defrost in the fridge overnight and pan fry.