I will sheepishly admit that when I saw Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook I immediately wrote it off as another celebrity cookbook but I couldn't have been more wrong. It's fantastic! There are loads of vegetarian and vegan recipes (or alternatives) and everything I've made from it has been absolutely delicious. It's a lovely insight into Gwyneth's life as well, showing a very different side to her. The stories she shares about her father, the main influence on her cooking and love of good food, are very sweet and touching, and the story about their last meal together in Italy before he passed away had me blinking away tears. I highly recommend it!
This recipe is inspired by one of hers - I changed the method because I'm too lazy to cook onions and garlic up beforehand! This recipe is also perfect for using up any cooked leftover rice and vegetables you might have hanging around - I had some leftover stir-fried broccoli and kale that I chucked in with my last batch and they were great!
The burgers, once rolled into shape, freeze very well too.
Veggie burgers
Inspired by a recipe in Notes From My Kitchen Table by Gwyneth Paltrow
Makes 8 small or 4 large burgers
1 medium red onion, peeled and quartered
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to your taste
1 x 400g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup cooked rice
Fresh coriander, parsley or basil
2 tablespoons flour (I used GF plain flour)
Cooking spray or rapeseed oil
Burger buns, bread and salad to serve
In a food processor, place the onion, spring onions, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, drained kidney beans, rice and fresh herbs. At this point if you have any leftover cooked vegetables (anything up to 1/2 a cup will be fine) add those too. Pulse in the food processor until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined but not pureed. You will need a spatula to scrape down the sides!
Shape the mixture into balls - either large or small, your choice! - and then place in the fridge for a few hours to firm up. If you're in a hurry and didn't read the recipe first (like I do! Oops) you can put them in the freezer for half an hour and that tends to work fine.
Dust the burgers with flour and heat either oil or cooking spray in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Brown the burgers on both sides until golden - about 2 minutes on each side.
Serve them on buns or bread with all your favourite toppings - in the photo you'll see we enjoyed ours with jalapeno chillies and a slice of melted organic cheddar - and a lovely crispy salad on the side.