Veggie burgers (with mushroom, quinoa and kale)

After a day of steaming sunshine, it started raining harder than an elephant's wee around about the same time as I realised the fridge was pretty empty. No chance I was venturing out in this weather; dinner had to be a store cupboard mish-mash. In the fridge were four mushrooms, an onion, half a bag of kale leftover from Breakfast in a Glass, a sweet potato and a tiny chunk of cheese. Luckily the egg nook in the fridge revealed four hens' morning work.

Mixing them together with quinoa, some spices and breadcrumbs made these delicious veggie burgers. They might sound superfood-virtuous, but they taste devilishly good.. And thanks to the nutty mushrooms, you might find even the most hardened carnivore doesn't miss their meat.

Ingredients

one onion, v finely chopped

four mushrooms, v finely chopped

olive oil

three cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

large handful of kale, finely chopped

100 grams of grated cheese - cheddar and/or parmesan work well

three large or four medium-sized eggs

two large handfuls of bread crumbs

handful chopped parsley

handful chopped coriander

salt and pepper

one cup quinoa

chilli, to taste (if desired)

* makes 8-12 burgers, depending on how big they are*

Method

Cook the quinoa as per pack instructions, until all water is absorbed

Meantime, fry off the onions and garlic, then once browned, cook mushrooms and set aside

Mix the cooled quinoa, onions, garlic and mushroom in a big bowl, then add the herbs, spices, eggs, breadcrumb, cheese, seasoning, and chilli if required

Heat a griddle pan until the olive oil is near-spitting hot, as you roll the mixture into round patties.

Place as many as can comfortably fit into the pan, flatten with a fish slice, and cook for about 5 minutes per side, depending on how thick they are.

If desired, serve in buns with crunchy lettuce, avocado, and spicy ketchup