Max La Manna’s Stems-and-All Green Burger

My ultimate indulgence is burgers, with large portions of fries and a big dollop of ketchup, with a chocolate milkshake on the side – after all, I am American. I don’t call burgers ‘vegan burgers’, they’re all just burgers to me now. Today, meat-free burger companies are making huge waves, but I prefer my burgers to be made with nothing but plants, which means I make my own. This burger is loaded with nutrients to leave you feeling satisfied.

MAKES 6 PATTIES

handful of spinach
(stems and all)
handful of rocket
½ bunch coriander
(stems and all)
½ bunch dill
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
60g dried chickpeas,
soaked for 24 hours then
cooked (see page 000) or
1 x 200g can, drained
130g dried cannellini beans,
soaked for 24 hours then
cooked (see page 000) or
1 x 400g can, drained
70g peas (fresh or
canned – upcycle that
can, see page 000)
130g chestnut mushrooms
100g oat flour (or any
flour you have)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
cayenne pepper
dried parsley
salt and pepper
For the flax egg
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
3 tbsp water
To serve
burger buns
crisp lettuce
sliced tomato
red onion
home-made cheese sauce

In a food processor, on a low speed, pulse your spinach, rocket, fresh herbs and garlic for 20 seconds into a pastelike consistency. Next, add your chickpeas, beans, peas, mushrooms, oat flour and extra virgin olive oil and pulse again until you have a rough paste.

Preheat your oven to 200ºC.

In a separate small mixing bowl, make your flax egg by mixing the flaxseeds with the water and whisking with a fork for 1 minute. Allow this to sit for 5 minutes to coagulate, then add your flax egg to the paste in the processor and blend. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and mix in the spices, using your hands and making sure everything is evenly combined.

Using your palms, shape the mixture into 6 small burger patties and place them on a baking sheet (no parchment is needed).
Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until the edges start to crisp and brown.

Serve on a bun, with crisp lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion, cheese and homemade chips (and don’t forget the chocolate milkshake!).