Spicy Bean Burgers with Guacamole and Salsa

Bean Burger

Bean burgers are often more delicious than the meat variety and are definitely more healthy than many of the fat and bread ridden varieties you often get. These burgers are made from a mixture of kidney beans and haricot beans with coriander and plenty of spices.

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4 Portions
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Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Burgers

  • 400g canned kidney beans
  • 400g canned haricot beans
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 4 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 3 tsp pimiento (smoked paprika)
  • 1/2 tsp chili, ground
  • 2 tsp cumin, ground
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 100g plain flour
  • maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Guacamole

  • 1 large ripe avocado
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • dash Tabasco or a similar chili sauce
  • 100g yoghurt
  • pinch maldon salt

Tortilla

  • 2 large flour tortillas or 4 small, large tortillas quartered and small ones halved
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp pimiento (smoked paprika)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic, ground
  • maldon salt

Salsa

  • 4 tomatoes diced
  • 200g corn kernels
  • 1/2 a small cucumber diced
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 large green chili, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp mint, shredded
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp maldon salt, crushed

To Grill

  • 200g haloumi, sliced thinly

Method

  1. Burgers: Drain the canned kidney beans and haricot beans and place them in a large bowl. Add the garlic, coriander, pimiento, chili, cumin, soy sauce and tomato paste. Mix the ingredients together until well combined. With a potato masher or the back of a fork a crush the beans well so that they are crushed together with the ingredients but still have some form. With a wooden spoon mix in the flour and seasoning until the mixture is firm. Dust a large tray with flour and take large handfuls of the mixture and form it into firm burger shapes with your hands, dusting all sides well with flour. Place the burger on the floured tray and repeat the process until you have four burgers. Cover and refrigerate the burgers until ready to cook (they can be prepared a day in advance).
  2. Guacamole: Slice the avocado in half and remove the seed with a knife. Scoop out the avocado flesh from the skin and place it in a bowl. Squeeze over the lemon juice and add the ground coriander, Tabasco, yoghurt and salt to the bowl. Crush the mixture with a the back of a fork to a rough puree and mix the ingredients together well. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top of the guacamole and cover it with cling film, refrigerate it until ready to use.
  3. Salsa: Place all the salsa ingredients together in a bowl and mix them together until well combined. Leave the salsa at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours to allow the flavours to mingle. This must be eaten on the day it is prepared.
  4. Tortillas: Place the olive oil, pimeton, ground garlic and salt on a large place mix them together until combined. Place the tortilla quarters or halves in the oil and coat both sides well. Heat a grill pan over a high heat and cook the tortillas for a minute on each side until crisp and with griddle marks or cook the tortilla for 30 seconds to a minute on each side under a hot grill. Set the tortillas aside until ready to serve.
  5. To Cook the Burgers: Heat enough olive oil in a large frying pan so that at generously coats the base. Place the frying over a moderate high heat. When the oil is hot place the burgers in the pan and reduce the heat to moderate. Cook the burgers for around 5 minutes on each side so that they are golden brown and heated through.
  6. Preheat a grill to high. Remove the burgers from the pan and place them on an oven proof tray. Place 2-3 slices of haloumi on each burger and place them under the preheated grill. Cook the burgers for 1-2 minutes until the haloumi has melted, remove the burgers from under the grill and serve.
  7. To Serve: Place one slice of the tortilla on each serving plate. Place a burger with haloumi on the tortilla slices and place a generous spoonful of salsa on the burger followed by the guacamole. Lean a second piece of tortilla against the burger and serve at once.