Courgette Burgers

I love these little crispy pancake type burgers. They burst and pop with flavour in your mouth, are easy to make (although a bit of a process) and reheat/keep warm in the oven super duper well.

It is another recipe inspired by Yotom Otolenghi and I'm going to say that mine is easier, less time consuming and just as good as his (originally leek fritters).
Bold I know but I have to go in guns blazing.

My recipe is also great for gluten free diets. Through trial and error (aren't you glad I'm doing it for you) I've found that a cup of mixed buckwheat and quinoa flour works exactly the same as the quantity of flour Yotom uses in his. Yippeeee.

It's summer and the glut of courgettes was in. This uses up a good amount and you could use more just double the batter mixture and hey presto. Easy.

Courgettes or zucchinis depending on which side of the pond you come from are part of the summer squash family. Lower in sugar, carbs and Vit A than it's winter counterparts it is still a great alkaliser and supposed to help with inflammation according to the Chinese. Cooked per 100g it's only 16 calories..not bad my friends, not bad.

I love this spice. Can you guess what it is? I'm sure all you clever clots did and of course, why wouldn't you! Cumin. Fragrant and utterly reminiscent of India even though, it's native to Eastern Mediterranean. I always buy whole seeds and spices if I can. The flavours hold better for longer and will have more of an impact than powder. Who knew that such a tiny seed helps with the secretion of digestive juices, stimulate circulation and relieve pain and cramping. Wonder seed if I do say so myself.

I've already spoken about quinoa here so I'm going to focus on Buckwheat. Whilst reading up about this grain I was happily shocked to find that it is the best stabiliser of blood sugar out of all the grains. As someone who suffers with insulin resistance this is great! I have a little issue with the smell of cooked buckwheat but when I mixed it with quinoa flour I didn't even notice it. This grain is a power house of goodness containing all 8 essential amino acids. Lore says that buckwheat inhibits melanin and that's why you'll find that people living in warmer climes tend to eat more. I'm not sure about this but if you know more, tell me!

However, if you suffer from skin allergies or problems try not to eat to much as it prevents cells from cleansing themselves. It is however gluten free so great for celiacs and when roasted becomes  one of the few alkalinising grains.

RECIPE:

4 courgettes washed, topped, tailed and grated

1 cup of quinoa and buckwheat flour combined

1 large egg

⅔  cup of milk (I use goats)

big bunch of parsley/coriander

2 small chillies

garlic cloves

2 tbsp cumin

olive oil 

salt and pepper

In a frying pan, grate the courgettes, add the cumin seeds and cook so they release their water. Strain them a little but don't get stressed out about this as you don't want to lose the cumin seeds. Leave to cool.

In a blender whizz the parsley/coriander, chillies and garlic cloves. Meanwhile mix the egg, flour and milk. Add the whizzed up mixture to the batter and stir. Once the courgette is cooled add to the batter. Make sure that it's well stirred. Season.

In a frying pan heat some oil. Make sure it's really hot before you add the mixture and start cooking. Once it is hot to trot, place spoonfuls of the mixture and spread out a little. Cook till golden then turn over and repeat.

I normally cook mine 3 hrs ahead. When the time comes I heat in 100C oven for about 15/20mins. Makes 30.

Serve with a refreshing yoghurt and cucumber dip or a fresh salad.

My quinoa and chickpea burger

It's been showering us with sunshine in Ireland. I'm loving it. The dresses haven't quite found their way past my wardrobe but, it's sunny enough to sit outside with sunnies and no jumper! Am I lucky or what? Who knew that my first Irish summer would be so sweltering (pinch of salt people).

The job is going well, great infact. I'm still getting into a routine but the fact I'm living in the countryside and the sun is shinning and I'm creating new recipes is pretty sweet. Life is good.

One of my latest creations came around from leftover quinoa and mint peas. There are plenty of quinoa/amaranth/chickpea burgers out there. And I'm sure they're all fantastic. Personally I've always been a bit of a 'I eat meat, why the hell would I make a burger without?' kind of person. Cue this job where the meals are all vegetarian and as vegan as possible. Cue, my veggie burger.

Quinoa is a fantastic little ball of grain goodness. For those of us who try to exercise, you may have heard of it being a complete protein and gluten free. Good for those allergic to wheat. Did you know that it contains more calcium than milk? A pretty nifty little grain.

And then, I present the chickpea. For those of you living across the pond, you will know it as the garbanzo bean. I'm sticking to chickpea you hear?!? These golden balls are one of my all time favourite things to eat. Give me some chunky homemade humus or some chickpeas with turmeric, onion and garlic any day of the week. Yum. 

It's spring/summer time and I love spring onions. The spicy freshness that is so similar and yet so unlike an onion is something I love, plus the fact you can eat all of it is a winner. And since moving to Ireland I find myself cooking more and more with these green and white sticks.

The garlic clove is beautifully packaged. A food stylists dream that comes with it's very own packaging. And so pretty it's packaging is. Known throughout the world to prevent disease, keep away vampires and make armies stronger.

My favourite quote concerning garlic comes from John Harrington and The English Doctor: 'Garlic then have power to save from death; Bear with it thought it maketh unsavoury breath; And scorn not garlic like some that think; It only maketh men wink and drink and stink'

Now we all know the chilli. There are so many different varieties and so many contentions for where they originated it's a chilli minefield. I'm a fan. I love hot but you may not. The recipe will be just as good less spicy so you can decide how much you want to put in.

RECIPE:

2 cups of cooked quinoa (mine had peas in from yday)

2 cups of cooked chickpeas

5 different sized spring onions

6 garlic cloves (less if you love vampires)

2 big chillies (less if you're not a hot person)

2 large eggs (or enough to bind)

large handful of herbs (parsley, coriander, basil. Anything you want)

Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. I used a food processor and roughly chopped all the ingredients. I'm new to the wonders of food processors so didn't really need to but. You CAN do this by hand. Mash the chickpeas and chop everything else finely, then mix.

Use 2 spoons to keep burgers even-ish. Cook in coconut the oil of your choice till crispy and golden then flip and repeat. 

This mix made roughly 20. They freeze really well.