Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers

Makes approx 8

I love a veggie burger. I was making these for a lunch recently with vegetarian friends and I also needed to ensure they were gluten-free. Quinoa and a little gluten-free flour replaces any need for breadcrumbs, while the egg helps bind the mixture and helps then keep their shape whilst frying.

These can be made in advance and reheated in the oven making them a good option for advanced-prepping. Make a batch and keep them in the freezer and defrost and reheat as needed.

Ingredients:

Oil

1 onion, diced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp garlic powder

1/3 tsp chilli powder

1 large sweet potato, baked until soft, and allowed to cool

40g dried quinoa, cooked

2 tins of black beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and ground white pepper

2 eggs, beaten

4 heaped tbsp (GF) plain flour

Step 1: Fry the diced onion in a tablespoon or two of oil until soft. Add the cumin, coriander, garlic and chilli powders and stir, cooking for a minute. Take off the heat and allow to cool.

Step 2: Scoop out the flesh of the cooked and cooled sweet potato into a large bowl and mash it until smooth. Add the stained black beans and roughy mash those too.

Step 3: Add a large pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper and then the cooked quinoa along with the cooled spiced onion and stir until combined. Taste to check the seasoning.

Step 4: mix in the eggs until smooth. Add the flour and mix again. If the mixture looks too loose (it should be soft rather than stiff), add a little more flour.

Step 5: In a non-stick frying pan, heat oil over a medium-high heat. Using a tablespoon dollop two spoonfuls to make one round patty. Fry for three or four minutes on each side until golden and set. They will be fairly delicate so turn carefully. You should be able to get about eight or so burgers from the mix.

Step 6: Either use straight away, or spread on a baking sheet and allow to cool. They can then be frozen (use baking parchment to separate them) and later defrosted or kept in the fridge for a couple of days until needed. To reheat bake in a 200c (fan) oven for 15-20 minutes.