As Joshua eats a largely vegetarian or pescatarian diet I am keen to make sure he gets enough protein and iron. Legumes (beans, lentils and peas) are a great source of these and other nutrients so I try to incorporate them into his diet regularly. These mushroom and black bean burgers (or sliders) fit the bill perfectly - they are inspired by a recipe by @miss.avas.kitchen . Ingredients… * 150g mushrooms * 230g of drained black beans * 1 slice of bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs (or approx. 40g of fresh breadcrumbs) * ½ red onion, finely chopped * 1 egg, beaten * ¼ cup of grated cheese (20g) * ¼ cup of parsley, finely chopped * 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or minced * 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce (or alternative sauce) * ½ teaspoon dried cumin * a little plain flour To make… * Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until roughly chopped (or chop by hand) * Sweat the red onion, garlic and mushrooms in a little oil for a couple of minutes until soft * Squeeze out the excess liquid from the mushroom mix by pressing into a sieve or squeezing in a muslin or clean cloth* * Pulse the black beans in in a food processor until they are a rough texture (you don’t want them to turn into a paste) * Mix all ingredients together * Add a little plain flour if the mix is too wet * Shape into small patties and pan fry until they have developed a firm outer crust – turning half way You could possibly make this recipe vegan too by using a flax egg as a binder instead and omitting the cheese or replacing with vegan cheese or nutritional yeast. *Note - Mushrooms have a high water content and release quite a bit of liquid when they are cooked, so it is very important to remove most of this before you combine the ingredients or you will find that the mix is too wet. If you’re adding any other veg with a high moisture content to the mix (eg. grated carrot or courgette) make sure you squeeze out any excess liquid from them too. Eat fresh, refrigerate or freeze Enjoy x
