Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers.

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This burger is the perfect meaty and hearty texture that’s locked and loaded ready to please all meat-eaters and vegans alike! Packed with wonderful savoury flavours, derived from wholesome ingredients, and full of powerful plant-proteins. It may look like a burger, but it’s so much more than that.

Makes: 4-6 patties | Total Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 150g mushrooms (I used chestnut), diced

• 125g dry quinoa

• 1x 400g tin of black beans, drained and washed

• 1 red onion, diced

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp corn flour

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 50g oats or roughly 3 tbsp flour (plain, oat, spelt & buckwheat flours all work well)

Instructions:

1. Boil the quinoa in water for 15 minutes. Drain, dry thoroughly and set aside too cool. Be sure to allow time for them to cool down and dry as this will ensure no moisture or liquid is trapped that could potentially cause the mixture to become too soggy and unable to hold its shape when moulding.

2. Peel and chop the onion, wash and finely dice the mushrooms. Heat a few tbsp of water or 2 tsp of olive oil in a pan, along with the onion and minced garlic and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes until soft and slightly caramelised. Then add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes to remove excess water.

3. Add the spice mix to the frying pan and mix in to fully coat the sautéed veggies. Cook for just one minute and then remove the pan from the heat.

4. Once everything has cooled, place the sautéed veggies, quinoa, black beans, salt and pepper into a food processor (or blender, but be sure to use the pulse setting) and pulse until a slightly chunky paste forms.

5. Add in the flour (or oats) and corn flour and pulse again until a thick pliable paste forms. Add in extra flour if needed until the paste is dry and firm enough to shape the patties in your hands and hold their shape.

6. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

7. Form the mixture into 6 burger patties using your hands, about 1-inch thick. Then place on a plate lined with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to any surfaces.

8. Heat a non-sticky pan with one tablespoon of oil. Add the patties and cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, until brown and grilled on surface. Avoid attempting to flip them before waiting at least 5 minutes as they may break apart. Remove from the heat and begin to assemble your burger.

9. Alternatively, allow them to cool down fully and then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Perfect for a protein-packed meal prep!