Ultimate 15-minute ‘burger’
The Happy Pear say: “Quick, easy to make, super-tasty, moreish – we are aware that’s quite a promise, but these burgers will deliver! It’s hard to get good- quality breadcrumbs, so we usually make our own by putting a few slices of decent bread into the food processor for a few minutes until they turn to crumbs. It is really worth seeking out the nutritional yeast, as it gives a nice distinct flavour, and a couple of slices of vegan cheese, while not essential, take these burgers to the next level”
Makes 3 burgers
Ingredients
1 x 400g tin of kidney/black beans
1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
150g oyster mushrooms (or any other mushrooms) 3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons tamari/soy sauce
100g breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast To serve
Hummus or vegan mayo Sweet chilli ketchup or pesto A couple of slices of vegan cheese (optional)
Lettuce leaves
Tomato slices
Red onion slices
Ripe avocado slices
Method
1 Drain and rinse the beans. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Chop the mushrooms very finely.
2 Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a frying pan on a high heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further minute. Now add the tamari and fry for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3 Put the breadcrumbs, beans and nutritional yeast into a bowl and mix well. Add the mushroom mixture to the same bowl and mix. Leave to cool for a minute, then use your hands or a wooden spoon to mash and mix everything together. Shape this mixture into 3 burger-shaped patties, making sure to really compress them to remove as much moisture as possible.
4 The patties are now ready to cook. We usually fry them in the pan in the remaining tablespoon of oil for 2 minutes on each side, until they go golden. You can also bake them in the oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 10 minutes, or throw them on the barbecue. 5 Serve in toasted burger buns with hummus/mayo on the bottom of the bun, sweet chilli ketchup/pesto on the top and any of the other topping options you fancy.