Mustard Brushed Kidney Bean Burgers

Anyone who knows me and Jit knows that we LOVE burgers so we have them regularly in as many different forms as possible.  This one was inspired by one of the Jamie Oliver shows that we have on the Humax where he brushed the burgers with English mustard while they were cooking to give them an extra kick of flavour.  Of course he used meat, so to get a good strong base without too must added flavour, I went for a good old kidney bean burger and coupled it with some spicy wedges (just in case there wasn’t enough of a hit in the mustard!) OK, so we’re chilli fiends too!

So here we have the mustard brushed kidney bean burgers with spicy wedges. (I’ll be adding the recipe for these soon so keep your eyes peeled!)

One of the many reasons that I am a fan of the good old burger is how easily transportable it is the next day using left overs for lunch. It just packs up into a chunky sandwich and you can bob the wedges or chips in a tub with a tiny pot of sauce and you’re on your way.  I often take them on my train journey to Essex because of how delicious they are and how it just makes for that first part of the trip! I do think that anticipation is part of he enjoyment too.

Anyhoo! Back to the recipe! Just to add that I was trying something new on these burgers as I had spotted some sauerkraut coleslaw in the shops so I was excited to give it a go.  I have to say that it wasn’t as nice as I was expecting, but the vinegary flavour did bring out the cheese and the burger – give it a go and see what you reckon – or try some of the other crazy varieties out there!

Ingredients

4 seeded buns

4 slices of cheddar cheese

4 hands full of fresh spinach

1 beef tomato

750 g cooked kidney beans (if using tinned, wash them before using)

1 free range egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup plain flour

2 tbsp chilli sauce

English mustard, for brushing

Method

Pre heat a grill tray under a medium heat

Place the kidney beans into a large bowl and crush using the back of a fork (I do this over the food processor as you can keep some chunky bits as well as having some softer mushier parts)

Break the egg into the beans and mix through to combine

Add in the chilli sauce, bread crumbs and flour and mix through – this should make it all bind together nicely.  If it is too loose, add a bit more flour, if it is too stiff, add a little more sauce or some water to loosen it up a bit.  You’re aiming for your patties to stay together)

Divide the mixture into four and make into chunky patties

Lightly oil the tray and gently place the patties onto it and brush the tops with mustard

Grill for around 7 minutes until it starts to brown

Meanwhile, toast your buns, slice your cheese and tomatoes and get your side dishes ready for serving

Turn over, brush this side with mustard too and cook for a further 7 minutes

Turn one more time and place the sliced cheese on the top, grill it until it melts

Serve on a bed of spinach and tomato on the toasted bun and top with some coleslaw or marinated onions

Seriously, these are absolutely delicious!  And if you fancy giving them a bit more of a ‘meaty’ texture to them you can add Vital Wheat Gluten to them instead of the flour and bread crumbs – they will need longer to cook though but it is worth it! (I’ll be sharing some of my seiten experiments very soon – I’m just working to perfect them before I release them into the world!)

Here’s to burgers, burgers and more burgers!!