This recipe is a longer cook but oh so fun for getting the children involved. Teaching your children to be kind to animals is our responsibility. They don’t need to be vegan, but growing up with a disconnect to where their food comes from raises adults who are disconnected from the farm-to-table process and who end up buying meat unconsciously. Meat is a privilege and the animal has given its life for it. Teaching your children that these are kind patties that haven’t harmed another being might encourage them to not only learn something new, but to try something new. It may even do the same for you.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Fries
5 unpeeled potatoes, sliced into wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper
Patties
½ cup uncooked brown lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
200 g fresh or frozen sweetcorn kernals
200 g fresh or frozen peas
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
75 g spelt flour
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Vegan mayo
2 spring onions
½ fresh red chilli (optional)
1 clove garlic
2 heaped tablespoons cooked chickpeas
1 teaspoon English mustard
1½ tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
juice of 1 lemon
5 tablespoons olive oil
To serve
4 quality burger buns (gluten-free if you wish)
½ head iceberg lettuce
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
2 gherkins, sliced
2 sprigs fresh basil leaves
1 lime
1 avocado, peeled, pip removed, sliced
Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
For the fries, toss the potato wedges with the oil, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl until the wedges are evenly coated. Pop them onto a roasting tray and into the oven for 35–40 minutes or until they are golden brown, tossing them at the halfway mark. I drizzle them with a little extra olive oil as they come out of the oven and season with salt.
For the patties, place the lentils and vegetable stock into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes until al dente.
Meanwhile, add the sweetcorn, peas, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, flour and seeds to a food processor. Once the lentils are ready, remove them from the heat, drain them and allow to cool for 10 minutes and then tip them into the food processor and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until a rough paste starts to form. You don’t want to make it too smooth. Once ready, divide the mixture into four even patties about 2 cm thick. Place the patties on a lightly floured tray and pop them into the freezer to set for 10 minutes or save them in the fridge for later.
While the patties are setting, get started on the mayo. Place all the mayo ingredients, except the olive oil, into a blender and blend until smooth. While the blender is running, add the olive oil very slowly and keep blending until a mayo-like consistency forms. Once ready, set aside.
Heat the oven again to 180 °C.
Heat the coconut oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook each patty for 2 minutes on each side. Once ready, transfer to a roasting tray and pop them into the oven. Turn the oven down to 150 °C and bake a bit longer while you assemble the burgers.
Cut the buns in half and add a dollop of mayo. Top with lettuce, sliced tomato, gherkins and basil. Add a squeeze of lime. Place a hot patty on top and close the bun.
Serve with the fries and an extra dollop of mayo for dipping!
-Melissa