Recipes with Zerlina Mastin

BEAN BURGER

Vegetable bean burgers are quick and easy to make, offering a fantastic alternative to traditional meat based versions. They are a brilliant source of plant based protein and come with a plethora of important nutrients and antioxidants for dancers. Inexpensive and versatile, beans are high in fibre, low in saturated fat, and help promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. Here we’ve used sliced tomato, but you can easily substitute with some crunchy lettuce, sliced avocado, or even a homemade yoghurt dip to boost the nutritional profile of this meal.

Ingredients

Serves 2

½ x 400g tin white beans (or chickpeas), drained and rinsed, zest of ½ lemon (plus juice), ½ tsp. ground cumin (optional), handful of chopped coriander (fresh or frozen), 1 egg, 5 tbsp. breadcrumbs, ½ red onion sliced thinly, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 2 small wholemeal buns

For the filling: 1 sliced tomato, 1 tbsp. chilli sauce (optional) and seasoning (a pinch of salt and black pepper).

Method

1. Blend together the beans, breadcrumbs, egg, lemon zest (and juice), cumin, coriander and season with salt and black pepper. Process until almost smooth (if a blender is not available, mash the beans the mix thoroughly with the listed ingredients). Press the bean mixture together firmly and shape into two burgers.

2. Heat the oil in a pan, then add the bean burgers. Fry on a low to medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side (until browned on both sides).

3. Separate the wholemeal buns then add a filling of choice (e.g. sliced tomato and a little chilli sauce).