Jamie Oliver has shared the recipe for his Mega veggie burgers with garden salad & basil dressing to support Diabetes UK's new healthy eating campaign. The aim of the campaign is to highlight that by making small changes to a recipe you can still enjoy the food you love, and Jamie's recipe - from his cookbook Everyday Super Food - is the perfect example of that, with a healthier take on a vegetarian burger. The celebrity chef explained in his book: "Tofu is a brilliant carrier of flavours, plus it's high in protein, low in saturated fat and a great source of calcium and phosphorus, both of which make for strong and healthy bones."
Serves 4
45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 350g firm silken tofu
- 1 large free-range egg
- 75g wholemeal breadcrumbs
- 2 heaped teaspoons Marmite
- 8 ripe tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 sprigs of fresh basil
- 4 soft wholemeal buns
- 400g mixed seasonal salad veg, such as cucumber, red cabbage, apples, cress, baby spinach
- Olive oil
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 50g Cheddar cheese
- 50g gherkins
CREAMY BASIL DRESSING:
- 4 sprigs of fresh basil
- 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ of a fresh red chilli
METHOD:
- Wrap the tofu in a clean tea towel, then squeeze and wring it out to remove the excess liquid (about 4 tablespoons should come out – it's messy, but really important to do this for great burger texture later). Place the tofu in a bowl, scraping it off the tea towel. Crack in the egg, then add the breadcrumbs and Marmite. Mix and scrunch together really well with clean hands, then shape into 4 even-sized patties that’ll fit nicely in your buns once cooked.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes and put into a dry non-stick frying pan on a high heat with a pinch of black pepper, a splash of water and the vinegar. Squash the tomatoes with a potato masher, cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thick and delicious, then tear in the basil leaves and season to perfection (I sometimes add a pinch of dried red chilli flakes too, for a kick). If you want to plump up your buns, pop them into a warm oven for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely slice or prep all the salad veg. Next, pick the basil leaves into a blender and blitz with all the other dressing ingredients and a pinch of salt and pepper until super-smooth. Place 2 teaspoons of oil in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Pick the rosemary leaves into the pan in four piles, place the patties on top and cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until golden. Slice or grate the cheese, place on the patties, reduce the heat to low, then cover and leave to melt for 3 to 4 minutes. Spread the tomato sauce into the buns, then sandwich the cheesy burgers and sliced gherkins inside. Toss the salad with half the dressing (save the rest for another day), serve alongside the burgers and enjoy – totally awesome.
The recipe is from Jamie Oliver's cookbook, Everyday Super Food
424 kcals, 15.7g fat (4.6g saturated), 24.9g protein, 44.8g carbs, 12.1g sugar, 9.3g fibre
Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Random House. Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2015 Everyday Super Food) Photographer: Jamie Oliver. Sign up to view free recipe videos and more at diabetes.org.uk/feelgood-food between 22 May to 30 July 2017.
