Beetroot burgers

Don't let the sound of these put you off- they are D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!! Not only are they of a beautiful ruby colour (I really want to organise a Barbie theme party for some little kids with all this hot pink coloured food!) , but they taste really meaty and are super filling! My maid couldn't believe that there was no meat involved!

These burgers are really simple to make, I baked mine but you could also pan fry them, and also freeze them once cooked to enjoy later on. I used both lentils and chickpeas in mine, but you can just use one type or try playing around by substituting with quinoa, brown rice etc.

BEETROOT BURGERS
Makes about 12 medium burgers
These are free from eggs and meat- except for 2-3 anchovies which can be omitted. If you are using 150 g of one type of grain- try to mash half of it up, just so that it all binds together nicely.

• 75 g cooked lentils (I used red)
• 75 g lightly mashed cooked chickpeas
• Approx 180 g grated beetroot (about half of a large one)
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 heaped tsp mustard
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• A couple of celery stalks, finely chopped (optional)
• 2-3 anchovies, (optional)
• 0.5 tsp of paprika
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp mixed herbs
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 40 g oat flour (grind up some oats), could substitute with whole wheat flour

1. In a saucepan, fry the onion, celery and anchovy together until the onions are cooked through. Anchovies sound a bit odd in this, but I watched this on some cooking show and they do add great depth to a lot of recipes and leave no fishy taste at all!
2. In a large bowl, combine the beetroot, pulses, chickpeas, fried onion mix and seasoning. Once nicely combined, add in the oat flour and olive oil until all of the flour is absorbed. Leave this mix in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before baking.
3. Use your hands to form burger-shaped patties. Bake the burgers for about 10 minutes on each side (total 20 mins) at 180 degrees Celsius on a non-stick sheet or pan fry on a low heat until golden brown. I had mine topped with halloumi- nom nom nom!

OMG- Obi is a proper little monster now, not going to be my cuddly lap dog for much longer :(

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