Beany nut burgers
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled and halved
- 25g mixed nuts, such as Brazils, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecan nuts
- 2tsp ground cumin
- 2tsp ground coriander
- freshly ground pepper
- 1tsp flaked sea salt
- 400g can mixed beans, rinsed and drained
- 25g plain or wholemeal plain flour
- 20g bunch fresh coriander with stalks
- 1tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the minted yogurt sauce:
- 100g full-fat live natural yogurt
- 10g bunch fresh mint, leaves finely chopped
Method
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To make the yogurt sauce, mix the yogurt and mint in a bowl and set aside while the burgers are prepared.
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To make the burgers, put the onion, garlic, nuts, spices and salt into a food processor and add lots of freshly ground black pepper. Blitz until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Add the mixed beans, flour, coriander and lemon juice and blitz until the mixture comes together to make a thick paste. It shouldn’t be too smooth as you are looking for some texture to give the burgers a bit of bite.
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Form the mixture into 4 balls and flatten into burgers, just under 2cm deep. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over a low heat and cook the burgers on one side for 3–5 minutes, checking they are crispy and browned on the bottom but not burnt.
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Add the remaining oil to the pan and turn the burgers over.
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Cook on the other side for about 3 minutes or until nicely browned and hot throughout. (Keep the heat low, so they don’t burn.) Serve with a large mixed salad and the minted yogurt sauce.
Recipe Notes
FREEZING TIP Freeze the uncooked burgers on a baking tray lined with foil until solid then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to one month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and cook as above. COOK’S TIPS • When blending the ingredients in a food processor, you may need to remove the lid and push the mixture down a couple of times with a rubber spatula until the right consistency is reached. (If you have a small food processor, you may need to blend the mixture in two batches.) • I use canned beans to save time and it’s best to choose mixed canned beans for variety, although you could use half a 400g tin of chickpeas and half a tin of 400g red kidney beans if you prefer. Rinse the beans in a sieve under cold running water and drain well before using. If using the beans for a more saucy recipe, you can omit the rinsing and draining step as the canning water all contains extra nutrients. MAKE A CHANGE If you don’t have a food processor, make some quick spiced beans instead. Simply heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Add the spices and cook for a few seconds before stirring in the beans, coriander and lemon juice. Heat through on the hob for a few minutes then season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with salad
