Quinoa and Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

I wanted to do yummy, healthy, good-for-you alternatives to beef-burgers, and this is what I came up with. Soooo tasty and pretty easy to make too! With the added benefit of being high in fibre and protein and low in calories and fat :)

Quinoa is a pseudocereal, which means it isn't a true cereal: true cereals are from the grass family, and although quinoa is used in the same way as a cereal, it isn't from the grass family. It's a good source of protein, B-vitamins, zinc, phosphorus, iron and magnesium as well as containing a moderate amount of potassium and vitamin E. It's also a good source of fibre and is gluten free.

First off, about cannellini beans: if you get the dried ones, you have to be SO careful to cook them properly - they need to be soaked in water for 5 hours or overnight and then vigorously boiled in fresh clean water for about half an hour to deactivate the toxin (called phytohaemagglutinin, which is a lectin - carbohydrate-binding protein). If this is done incorrectly, food poisoning may occur: nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Consumption of just 5 incorrectly cooked beans can cause this. If the beans are cooked, but don't reach 100C for at least 20 minutes, (for example in a slow cooker where they may be cooked for 6 hours but only reach 80C), the toxicity can actually increase, so it's very important to get it right! I just use canned beans, they're already cooked so you don't have to worry about any of that - much easier!

In other bean news, cannellini beans are high in fibre, rich in protein and low in fat; they're a good source of B vitamins, magnesium potassium, calcium and iron. Their soluble fibre content means they can reduce your LDL cholesterol level thus playing a part in preventing heart disease. They also contain some antioxidants, which may help to prevent some types of cancer.

The red peppers and sweetcorn provide heaps of vitamin C as well, so basically these burgers are super high in fibre, low in fat and contain so much nutrition. Serving them with sweet potato fries also adds loads of Vitamin A and antioxidants as well as potassium and fibre. Such a healthy meal!

If you want these to be vegan, you can leave out the egg or add a bit of almond milk to bind it together.

Quinoa & White Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 small tin of sweetcorn, drained
1/2 a red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 small or 1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or another tsp garlic powder)
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp flour (any kind)

Serving ideas:
wholemeal baps
1 avocado, mashed
red onion rings
tomato slices
rocket leaves
red pepper relish
red pesto
Sliced cheddar
Goat's cheese

Sweet Potato Fries
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunky chips
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper


Method

1. Put the quinoa, water, garlic powder and 1 tsp basil into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 mins until the water is all absorbed. Remove lid for last 5 minutes if necessary. 
2. Meanwhile, chop your veg very finely - so they're about the same size pieces as the corn kernels. 
3. Mash the beans and mix in with sweetcorn, red onion, red pepper, chilli, tomato purée, garlic, herbs and spices. Mix in the quinoa well. Add the lemon juice and mix well. 
4. Add the beaten egg and mix well. Add in the flour. Season with freshly ground black pepper. 
5. Heat some oil in a frying pan. To make the burgers, I just scooped a couple of tbsp of mixture on the pan and shaped it into a relatively burger-like shape right on there. 
6. Allow too cook for about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook on the other side for 5 minutes more. 
7. Serve on a bun/bap of your choice with whatever toppings you like and some sweet potato fries.

For the sweet potato fries:

1. Preheat oven to 220C. Peel the sweet potato and chop into chunky wedges. 
2. Place the wedges in a ziplock bag. Add in the olive oil, cornflour and spices. Shake to coat well. 
3. Spread wedges evenly onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 mins, turning once midway through. 

Vegan Chili

Vegetarian Chilli

This makes enough to do at least 4 people for 2 days.

I change the boiling water that the lentils sit in a couple of times, it goes very black. I frain them in a sieve. I use the same sieve then later on to rinse the chickpeas and the kidney beans.

Ingredients
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 chili pepper, chopped (if you want it less spicy only use half a one)

2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika

2 sticks celery, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into cubes
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1" cubes

10 oz green lentils

3 cans chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato puree

800 ml low-salt vegetable stock (Kallo do a low salt organic version)

1 can chickpeas

2 cans red kidney beans

Sour cream, grated cheese and tortilla chips or flour tortillas to serve

Method

1. Put lentils in big bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave to sit for 30 mins. Drain and rinse. 
2. Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a big saucepan. Fry onions, garlic and chilli pepper with the cumin and paprika for a few mins until softened a bit and the flavours have released.
3. Add the peppers, carrot, celery, sweet potato and lentils. Cook for 10 mins, stirring.
4. Add the tomatoes, puree and stock and give it a good stir. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins until the lentils and carrots are soft. Add the chickpeas 20 minutes into this stage.
5. Add the beans. Simmer for 5 more minutes to heat through. Serve with the toppings and tortillas and enjoy!

Spicy Carrot, Parsnip and Red Lentil Soup

So I made this soup because carrots and parsnips had been 39c a pack in Lidl, and I stocked right up. The days went by, I still hadn't used them and the last thing I wanted was for them to go to waste. I had a look at what else was in the kitchen and found a bag of red lentils, also approaching its BBE and a couple of sweet potatoes that had been there for a while as well.

I was in the mood for soup, so this recipe was born! It's really easy and so tasty too. If you don't want it too spicy, you can leave out the chilli and just add a shake of chilli powder instead to add a bit of warmth to it. This is a lovely winter soup, warms you right to the bones! The red lentils thicken the soup, when cooked they have a puréed consistency - makes for a really thick soup!

This soup is not only really low in fat, it's also loaded with vitamin A for eye and skin health, antioxidants for cancer prevention, folic acid for healthy pregnancies, vitamin C for general health and immune-system boost and contains loads of fibre for a healthy digestive tract.

Spicy Carrot, Parsnip & Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, chopped
1/2 red chilli, finely chopped (increase or decrease for more/less heat)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
200 g split red lentils
1.2 litre of vegetable stock - I only use like 1/2 a stock cube for this to limit the salt content - or if I've made a dinner the night before, I save the carrot/broccoli/potato water, put an onion and some garlic and use that instead! Not exactly proper stock but tastes just fine.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a nice big saucepan.
2. Add the onions, chilli, garlic and spices to the pan, and sweat them until they have softened and released their aroma. 
3. Add the carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes, sauté for a few minutes; add the lentils and sauté for a few minutes more. 
4. Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins, until the vegetables are soft.
5. Mash with a potato masher, or if you have one a stick blender. If it's too thick, add some boiling water, more stock or some normal or almond milk to thin it out a bit. Heat through again. Taste and season with black pepper and salt to taste.
6. Serve with warm crusty bread or focaccia.