makes 8 patties
recipe adapted from Kathryn Taylor's original at her blog, Cookie & Kate
Bake the sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice each sweet potato in half, lengthwise. Line a sheet pan with a sheet of parchment. Rub a bit of olive oil onto the cut sides and place cut side down on the parchment lined pan. Bake 40 minutes, or until they give when you squeeze them. Remove from oven and let cool.
Cook the millet or quinoa. Each expands about double when you cook it, so 1/2 cup raw = 1 cup cooked. Approximate ratio is 2:1 water, a bit of salt, 15 minutes on low simmer. Set aside to cool.
Grind the oats. Place the oats in a blender or food processor and pulse to break up the flakes.
Mix the dough. Scrape the flesh from the sweet potato halves using a fork into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked quinoa, black beans, cilantro, onion, spices, and salt. Mix gently using the fork or a wooden spoon. Mix in the ground oats. If you have the time, put the whole bowl of dough in the refrigerator to chill, if no time, don't worry about it.
Form the patties. Using a 1/2 cup measure, scoop the dough and drop onto a sheet of wax paper—you should be able to get 8 patties. Gently pat each to about 1-inch thickness.
Cook the patties. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil (or other cooking oil, like canola) in a frying pan set over medium heat. Cook 4 at a time until bottom side is golden brown and crispy, 3 or 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for an additional 3 or 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray and continue with the second batch, adding a fresh slick of oil to the pan.