Step up your barbecue game and serve up Mrs Crunch’s healthy burgers

HOPEFULLY, we can start thinking about warmer weather so you can drag the barbecue out and invite friends and family over.

Here are recipes for tasty burgers that are a bit different to the standard beef.

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Make sure you’re prepared for barbecue season and have these burger recipes in your back pocket[/caption]

And the beauty with these is you can grill or fry them inside the kitchen if it rains or even put them in the freezer for when the weather does brighten up.

Fingers crossed for sunshine!

Halloumi and courgette burgers

(Serves 6 – 74p per serving)

Preparation time: 30 minutes.

Cooking time: 25 minutes (plus chill for 60 minutes beforehand).

You need:

• 600g courgettes, trimmed and coarsely grated
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 egg
• 150g breadcrumbs, wholemeal
• 75g halloumi, diced
• 1 pepper, yellow, halved and deseeded
• 1 small aubergine
• 12 ciabatta, slices, toasted

Method:

1. Using your hands, squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the ­courgettes.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a non-stick pan and add the courgettes.
3. Fry over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until the moisture has evaporated. Add the onion and cook for 3 ­minutes. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a further minute.
4. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
5. Blend the chickpeas and egg in a food processor. Add to the courgettes along with the breadcrumbs and mix well. Fold in the halloumi and season to taste.
6. Shape the mix into 6 burgers. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
7. Cut each pepper half into 3 pieces and cut the aubergine lengthways into 8 slices.
8. Brush the burgers and vegetables with the remaining oil.
9. Barbecue the aubergines for 3 minutes on each side and the burgers and peppers for 5 minutes on each side until piping hot.
10. Serve stacked on ciabatta slices.

Tip: You can easily make this without gluten by using ­gluten-free breadcrumbs and ­gluten-free ciabatta slices.

Turkey burgers

(Serves 4 – 80p per serving)

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

You need:

• 350g turkey mince
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
• 4 salad onions
• 4 burger buns
• 1 handful little gem lettuce leaves
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 4 heaped tbsp helping of sweetcorn relish, optional
• 4 heaped tbsp tomato sauce, optional

Method:

1. Place the turkey mince into a large mixing bowl with the redcurrant jelly, egg, breadcrumbs, grated carrot and spring onions.
2. Mix well with clean hands and divide the mixture into 4 pieces.
3. Shape into burgers and grill on the ­barbecue for 5 minutes per side until no pink meat remains. Or under a piping hot grill for the same amount of time.
4. Serve in seeded burger buns with a little gem lettuce leaf and a few slices of tomato.
5. Add a spoonful of sweetcorn relish or ­tomato sauce, if desired.

Tip: This is great served with sweet potato wedges.

Bean burgers

(Serves 4 – 86p per serving)

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 15 minutes.

You need:

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil (another 1 tbsp if you are cooking in a pan)
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 350g canned borlotti beans
• 300g canned blackeye beans
• 70g fresh wholemeal ­breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 4 burger buns
• 1 large bunch little gem lettuce
• 60g Red Leicester, grated

Method:

1. Heat half the oil in a pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, until ­softened. In a food processor blitz the cooked onion with the grated carrot, beans, breadcrumbs and ketchup until evenly mixed.
2. Shape the mix into 4 burgers.
3. Now you can have three options – let them cool and freeze them in cling film and tin foil, pop them on to a heated BBQ or add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the burgers for 5 minutes each side, until golden brown and piping hot.
4. Serve in a bun with lettuce and grated cheese.

Tip: You can use different beans in these – try chickpeas, pinto beans or cannellini – make them your own!

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