Beany Burgers with Corn & Apple Relish

Relish ingredients: 1/2 a red pepper and 1/2 a green pepper, deseeded and finely diced, 2 salad onions, 1 diced green apple, 1 small can sweetcorn (drained), 1 x 15ml spoons chopped fresh parsley (or dried), 1 x 15ml spoon white wine or rice vinegar, 1 x 15ml spoon lemon juice, salt & freshly ground black pepper.

1. Remove the seeds from half a red pepper. Cut into slices.

2. Turn the pepper slices round and cut into small dice.

3. Do exactly the same with half a green pepper.

4. Cut the root and dark green leaves from 2 salad onions. Peel back one layer of skin, then chop finely.

5. Use your hand like a bridge and cut the apple in half.

6. Put the flat sides of the apple down on the board and cut each in half, still using your hand as a bridge.

7. Remove the core from each quarter and cut the apple into small pieces.

8. Chop the fresh parsley. Put all prepared ingredients into a bowl.

9. Add the can of drained sweetcorn.

10. Add 1 x 15ml spoon of rice or white wine vinegar.

11. Add 1 x 15ml spoon lemon juice.

12. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Beany Burgers

Burger ingredients: 1 onion, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 stick celery, 1 grated small carrot, 425 g can black beans or green/brown lentils, 100g cooked brown rice, 1 vegetable stock cube or 1 x 5ml spoon vegetable bouillon, 75g wholewheat breadcrumbs, sesame seeds or oat flakes to coat. For a spicy Jamaican version add a few drops of Tabasco (hot pepper sauce).

1. Finely chop an onion and a stick of celery. Grate a small carrot, crush a clove of garlic and chop the parsley.

2. Drain the can of beans and rinse under cold running water.

3. Heat up 2 x 15ml spoons of olive oil in a large saucepan.

4. Sauté the onion, garlic, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes until soft.

5. Add to the pan the cooked brown rice, the beans, chopped parsley, bouillion powder and salt and pepper.

16. Mix well, then mash all the ingredients together.

17. Allow the mashed mixture to cool completely.

18. Divide the mixture into equal sized pieces. If you want to serve these in large burger buns, it will make about 6.

19. Coat each ball of mixture in wholewheat breadcrumbs, sesame seeds or oatflakes.

20. Flatten each into a burger, approximately 1 cm thick.

21. Heat 3 x 15ml spoons of olive oil in a frying pan.

22. Fry the burgers for 3 or 4 minutes on each side in the oil.

23. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook until golden brown and crisp on the outside.

24. Serve in a sesame burger bun with a portion of the corn and apple relish.