Quinoa & Halloumi Burger Recipe with corn salsa

 Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus chilling
Cooking time: 10 minutes

55g/2oz/¼ cup red quinoa
400g/14oz can borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
175g/6oz halloumi, patted dry and grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
flour, for dusting
Blackened Corn Salsa
sunflower oil, for frying

To serve:

4 soft seedy buns, preferably wholegrain, split in half
2 tbsp mayonnaise
4 crisp lettuce leaves
2 tomatoes, sliced

1. Put the quinoa in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer over a medium-low heat for 15–18 minutes until tender, then drain well.

2. Put the borlotti beans in a mixing bowl and roughly mash using a potato masher. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, halloumi and egg, then stir until combined.

3. Coat a plate and your hands with flour. Shape the bean mixture into 4 burgers and dust each one with flour. Place the burgers on a plate and chill for 20 minutes to firm up.

4. Meanwhile, to make the salsa turn to page 133. Blend half of the chargrilled corn to a coarse paste. Transfer the corn paste to a bowl and stir in the rest of the corn with the remaining ingredients, adding the chillies, if you like. Leave the salsa to one side.

5. Pour enough oil to generously cover the base of a large frying pan and heat over a medium heat. Add the burgers and fry for 6–8 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp.

6. To assemble the burgers, lightly toast the buns. Spread the mayonnaise over one side of each bun and top with the lettuce, burgers, tomatoes and a good spoonful of the corn salsa. Top with the bun lid and serve.

Extracted from
Vegetarian Food for Healthy Kids © Nicola Graimes 2016 published by Nourish Books, London
Paperback
£12.99

Image Credit: From Vegetarian Food for Healthy Kids by Nicola Graimes © Nourish Books 2016, commissioned photography by Tony Briscoe