Original recipe of the week: Mini veggie burgers with a coco-peanut dip

Food fad number one is probably the vegetarian. Perfect for those on a diet or even if you’re just “meat free”. It works on multiple levels.

Vegetables are surprisingly tasty and nutritious – especially if you know what you are doing, which is why we have decided to give you a yummy vegetarian recipe to try this weekend. Perfect finger food for a light snack or even as part of a main meal, these veggie burgers are one to watch and with the coconut peanut dip, they are to die for.

Mini veggie burgers with a coco-peanut dip

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 20 minutes

What you will need:

Veggie burgers

1 can of ready washed black lentils

1 can of ready to eat chickpeas

1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)

1 large red onion (finely diced)

1 handful of fresh coriander (chopped)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp fenugreek

2 tbsp tomato purée

1 egg

3 tbsp wholemeal flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Coco-peanut dip

This is probably the easiest dip you will ever make. All you need is:

12 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1 can of coconut milk

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 green chilli (finely chopped)

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground coriander

2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves

1 tbsp corn flour

What you need to do:

Veggie burgers

1. Place both the chickpeas and lentils into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
2. Now add in the egg, flour, garlic, onion and coriander and blitz again.
3. When combined, add in the spices and tomato purée and give this a quick mix.
4. Now taste the mix to see how much salt and pepper you need to add, then add them accordingly and mix again.
5. All you need to do now is shape the mix into small walnut-sized balls and place onto a greased baking tray.
6. Cook in the middle of the oven at 200C for about 20 minutes – you can turn halfway through to ensure they are golden on both sides.
7. When cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Coco-peanut dip

1. In a wok combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, fish sauce and chilli, and heat on a low heat until the peanut butter has melted.
2. Now add in the spices and give a stir, finishing off with the spinach leaves.
3. When the spinach has wilted, you are ready to turn up the heat and add in the corn flour.
4. Gently whisk the corn flour into the mix and continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened slightly. If it gets too thick, loosen up with a little water.
5. Now turn off the heat, remove from the pan and set aside to cool until you’re ready to serve. This sauce will keep up to a week in the fridge – enjoy!

Bethany Stone