Free from Friday’s: Spinach and plantain veggie burger served with garlic seasoned chunky sweet potato fries and mango and date dip.

Spinach and plantain veggie burger served with garlic seasoned chunky sweet potato fries and mango and date dip

Wow it’s Friday already, isn’t it amazing how quick time flies but hey Friday is the beginning of a wonderful weekend so who doesn’t look forward to it. What are you planning on doing staying in? going out? cooking or getting a take out? Well, the weather isn’t the best but we can all enjoy some delicious home cooked comfort food can’t we? This weeks recipe will definitely hit the spot when it comes to comfort food- burger and chips, but this is no ordinary burger and chips. In fact its a whole new experience of flavours to devour. Up until recently I was able to purchase frozen vegetarian burgers for my husband which didn’t contain any peas, soya or beans. Unfortunately now all of them contain one of these ingredients and pea fibre is used in many products, so it was time to prepare some delicious tasting home made gourmet burgers. If you or someone you know has these type of allergies then these burgers should be on your list because they are easy, tasty and most of all versatile.  You can have them as patties, filling in a wrap, burger or simply enjoy on their own.

The combination of plantain, spinach, carrots and spices blend really well, with every bite you can savour each flavour. Plaintain has a similar texture to potatoes as they are very starchy, in this recipe green plantain has been used so you have to cook it before consumption, the addition of corn flour helps to bind these burgers. So a delightful burger, what next? Well how about a side of chunky sweet potato fries? If you haven’t tried these then you really should especially when seasoned with garlic, sea salt and black pepper and the great thing is they are baked so enjoy  to your heart’s content. Sweet potatoes are known to be rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre and have moderate amounts of Vitamin B, manganese and potassium, during the baking process you increase Vitamin C so all rounder its a great option. Last but not least we need a tasty lip smacking dip to accompany our complete meal, here I have combined raw mango, dates and chillies to give you a tangy, sweet and spicy dip. All in all not bad is it? So why not give it a try and oh if you do I would love to hear your experience.

This recipe is a Egg free and legume free Burger recipe, for image purpose I have used cheese and wheat burger bun however, it can be made dairy free and gluten free by using alternatives.

Spinach and plantain veggie burger served with garlic seasoned  chunky sweet potato fries.

Total preparation time:30-40 minutes
Total cooking time: 1.5 hours
Makes: 8 burger patties, fries to serve 3-4

Spinach and plantain veggie burger

Ingredients:

100g Carrots peeled
220g Green plantain (skin removed)
100g Red onion
60g Fresh spinach
3 Tbsp fresh chopped coriander
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 Hot green chilli
1/4 Tsp turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp salt- or to taste
1 Tsp oil
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornflour
Oil for shallow frying

Method:

1. In a food processor, using a flat blade, blend all of the above ingredients into a fine and moldable batter.
2. In a non stick frying pan, pour some oil and heat on medium flame. Make 8 round burgers from the mixture. The mixture will be soft but should hold shape when moulded.
3. Place the burgers in the frying and and cook for 3-4 minutes before flipping them over and cooking the other side for 3- 4 minutes.
4. Before serving Pre-heat oven 200 degree C or 180 degree C for fan assisted and bake the burgers for 15 minutes.

Garlic seasoned fries

Ingredients:

3-4 large Sweet potatoes
3 Tsp granulated garlic
1 Tsp Sea salt flakes
1/2 Tsp Cracked black pepper
2-3 Tbsp oil

Method:
1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into chips, you can opt of thick or thin.
2. Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the sweet potatoes and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Drain and spread the chips out on kitchen towel to remove excess water.
4. Pre heat oven to 220 degree C or 200 for fan assisted oven.
5. Spread the chips in a roasting tray, drizzle the oil and seasoning, stir well.
6. Place the tray in the middle of the oven and bake the chips for 25-30 minutes or until they are crisp on the outside.

Mango, date and chilli dip

Ingredients:

8 dates
50g Raw mango (peeled and sliced or chopped)
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup tap water
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tsp red chilli powder

Method:

1. Soak the dates in boiling water for 15 minutes. After that time remove the stones and between yor fingers mush the dates with water.
2. In a blender add soaked dates in water, salt, mango and chilli and blend into a puree.
3. Sieve the puree into a pan, you will need to use a spoon to aid this process. Pour tap water into the pan.
4. Over medium heat, boil the mixture for 10-15 minutes until it starts to thicken slightly.

To serve: Make your burgers as per your preference, serve with salad, side of sweet potato chunky fries and dip.

Not only adults but kids will enjoy this too, you can always omit the red chilli for the dip.