Light Lunch Sorted: Quinoa & Sweet Potato Burgers

A delicious and easy recipe to soothe your gut and nourish your body

Serves 4

Prep: 45 minutes

Cook: 50 minutes

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
110g quinoa (raw weight)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 courgette, coarsely grated
110g chopped spinach
a pinch of dried chilli flakes, plus extra if needed
45g gluten-free dry breadcrumbs
a good squeeze of lemon juice
rice flour or another gluten-free flour, for dusting
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve
4 gluten-free burger buns, split and toasted
salad leaves
sliced tomatoes
sweet chilli sauce, tomato ketchup or chutney

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and bake the sweet potatoes for about 45 minutes until tender. When they’re cool enough to handle, remove their skins and mash the flesh in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa in a pan of lightly salted water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain well and then return to the pan. Cover with a lid and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a clean pan and cook the courgette for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the spinach and chilli flakes and cook for 1 more minute, then stir into the sweet potato with the quinoa.

Bind the mixture with the breadcrumbs and add the lemon juice.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. You should end up with a moist but not too loose mixture – add more breadcrumbs if necessary.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal-sized portions and, using your hands, mould them into burgers. Pop them into the fridge for at least 45 minutes to chill and firm up.

Just before cooking, dust the burgers with flour. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and cook the burgers for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Turn them over carefully with a spatula so they don’t fall apart.

Serve the burgers in toasted burger buns with salad leaves and tomato slices. Top with a small amount of chilli sauce, ketchup or chutney.

Extracted from The Ultimate FODMAP Cookbook by Heather Thomas (Vermilion, approx €19).