burger recipe – #ThisGirlEats

RECIPE: Spicy Bean Burgers | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 4
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than 50p per person.
What are the benefits? These beans are absolutely bursting with protein and the burgers pack in two of your five a day, and they’re also a great vegan burger alternative.

I love creating recipes that even a total stranger to the kitchen could have a decent crack at.

I remember the days when my limit was Pot Noodles and frozen pizzas 🍕 It was only when I moved away to university that I realised if I didn’t learn how to cook, no-one else would do it for me!

Basic recipes were my saving grace. I eventually learnt all about flavour combos and cooking techniques, but it was only the help of some truly novice recipes that got me started.

It’s important that my #ThisGirlEats recipes are not only low-cost, accessible, healthier alternatives, but also that they stay simple and become realistic options for as many people as possible. There’s nothing more disheartening than spotting a recipe you love, only to find it requires gizmos, gadgets and a whole bunch of ingredients you’ve never even heard of!

These bean burgers cost me 39p per person to make and they are so, so good for you, with two types of beans and some veggies for good measure. You can grab most of the recipes off the shelf of the tinned food aisle, and it’s basically just a case of draining, mashing and grilling to bring them to life. 🍔

INGREDIENTS
1 Tin of Black Beans
1 Tin of Kidney Beans
1 Tin of Sliced Carrots
1 tbsp (approx. 15g) Tomato Puree
1 tsp (approx. 5ml) Lemon Juice
4 Wholemeal Burger Buns

SEASONING
I think adding a bit of spice to these burgers gives them a much-needed kick – nothing worse than a bland veggie burger, is there? To crank up the flavour, I added a good dose of chilli flakes, some paprika, a little curry powder and a pinch of ground coriander. And, of course, our trusty salt and pepper!

So, this is how I did it…

1. Drain and rinse the black beans, kidney beans and carrots. Make sure they are thoroughly dried, patting down with kitchen roll if needs be, otherwise you’ll end up with mush rather than burgers.

2. Once dried, pour all the contents into a large bowl and mash together with a potato masher. I left mine quite chunky because I like the texture, but just keep mashing until you reach a consistency you’re happy with.

3. Add the tomato puree, lemon juice, spices and seasoning. Combine it all together and shape into burger patties. If the mixture is a bit dry, add more lemon juice. On the other hand, if it’s too wet you could add a few spoonfuls of flour or breadcrumbs to help hold it all together.

4. Grill on a medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Serve in burger buns and top with anything you fancy.

Tips & Tricks

For me, the best part of a burger is the toppings. Guacamole and sour cream make great sauces for this bean burger, as does sweet chilli sauce if you want another hit of heat. Halloumi and fresh, sliced tomato would also be great toppings.

My preferred beans to use are kidney beans and black beans, but they definitely aren’t your only option. Any would work just as well – even a basic tin of baked beans with the sauce rinsed off!

These make great leftovers. You could shape any leftover mixture into balls, cook in the exact same way and throw in with a salad, or stuff into a pitta pocket for lunch the next day.

RECIPE: Cheese and Mushroom Stack Burgers | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than 75p per person.
What are the benefits? These burgers are perfectly vegetarian-friendly, not to mention they are high in both protein and fibre.

If you’ve ever checked out my Instagram feed you’ll know I love a good burger. Almost every time we go out to eat and I take a sneaky insta snap, it’s pretty much always a fat burger on my plate. Perhaps I need to shake things up a bit… 🍔

I’ve taken my love for burgers here and steered it in a whole new direction to create a delicious alternative with a little more nutritional “oomph“. There’s still the lovely, gooey, melty cheese oozing out 🧀 but the mushrooms make up for all that – they count towards your ‘Five A Day’, they’re high in fibre and protein, and they’re an awful lot lower in fat than your traditional beef burger. So there!

Shopping at our local ASDA, I picked up the ingredients for this recipe for £1.38, which totals at just 69p per person. Compared to even the cheapest burgers (McDonald’s saver menu, here’s looking at you!) that’s a bargain! It’s also very quick and easy to make, with just a few ingredients available at many shops and supermarkets.

INGREDIENTS
4 Large Flat Mushrooms
4 Slices of Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
2 Burger Buns

SEASONING
Season the mushrooms with a good pinch of salt and pepper – and that’s it!

So, this is how I did it…

1. Season the mushrooms and grill each on one side for about 5 minutes – I’ve got a tabletop grill which is really handy, but an oven grill works perfectly fine.

2. Once the mushrooms have cooked on one side, flip them over and layer up in a stack with the cheese (one mushroom, one slice of cheese, second mushroom, second slice of cheese). Pop the stacks back under the grill for a further 5 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through and cheese has melted.

3. Remove from the heat and serve in a soft burger roll with any extra toppings you fancy.

Tips & Tricks

Stilton isn’t my cup of tea so I stuck with plain ol’ cheddar for my mushroom stacks, but blue cheese would go really well with this if you like that kind of thing.

Grilling always helps drain excess fat from whatever you’re cooking, but you can cook the mushrooms in a frying pan instead and it works just as well.

Try using aubergine 🍆 or beef tomatoes 🍅 to experiment with different veggie stacks!

RECIPE: Turkey Burgers with Homemade Guacamole | #ThisGirlEats

Serves: 2
How much does it cost? This recipe cost me less than £1.50 per person.
What are the benefits? Turkey burgers are a much leaner source of protein than other burgers, while the guac provides at least one of your five a day and the wholemeal roll is a healthy helping of fibre.

I think I could eat guacamole every day for the rest of my life. It’s just scrumptious, isn’t it? Until now I’ve been content with store bought guac, but I recently purchased a fancy food processor and, boy, it’s changed my life!

This guacamole was the very first thing I made with it and I promise you, I guarantee you, it tasted better than anything I’ve ever found in the supermarket – and I’m pretty sure that’s not just because of the smug sense of satisfaction I got from assembling and working out how to use a food processor all by myself.

It’s irresistibly creamy but with thick chunks of sweet, sharp onion and juicy tomato. I’m obsessed with it and, after trying it alongside these tasty turkey burgers, you will be too! 🥑

These burgers are a lean source of protein, avocados are packed with healthy fats and the wholemeal roll is rich in fibre so this recipe makes a really nutritious burger alternative. 👍

INGREDIENTS
250g Turkey Mince
1/2 Medium White Onion, Diced
1/2 Medium Red Onion, Diced
1 Large Avocado, Peeled, Halved and Pit Removed – Lidl Avocado – 99p – Lidl
1 Tomato, Diced – Large Beef Tomato – 80p – Sainsbury’s
2 Wholemeal Rolls

SEASONING
I cheat a little when I make burgers because I’ve got some super yummy TGI Fridays burger seasoning that I just LOVE using at every given opportunity! However, I reckon you could make equally great burger seasoning with a dash of salt, pepper, dried garlic, paprika, chilli flakes and, for this particular meat, a sprinkle of dried thyme and dried rosemary. For the guacamole, I added a pinch dried garlic flakes, plenty of dried coriander and, of course, salt and pepper.

So, this is how I did it…

1. Place the turkey mince and diced white onion in a bowl, along with plenty of seasoning, and squidge together with your hands (I’m aware “squidge” isn’t a word but you still know exactly what I mean!)

2. Separate the turkey mixture into two halves and shape into burger patties – thickness and width is up to you.

3. Spray a frying pan with cooking spray or throw in a tiny dash of oil, put on a medium-high heat and add the burgers, cooking for approximately 5 minutes on each side. I emphasise APPROXIMATELY, because it depends on how thick you’ve made your burgers. Check they are cooked through and there is no pink left inside the burger before serving.

4. For the guacamole, add one avocado, diced red onion, diced tomato, plenty of seasoning and a teeny tiny drop of oil – seriously, like a drop – to a food processor. A squeeze of lime juice is optional, it’s part of that classic guac flavour but, personally, I prefer the creamy texture without that sharp hit of acidity 🍋

5. Whiz the ingredients in the food processor, preferably pulsing with the chopping blade until a chunky, creamy consistency is reached. If you don’t own a food processor, add exactly the same ingredients and mash together with a fork or potato masher.

6. Serve the burgers in a wholemeal bun, topped with lashings of delicious guacamole!