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Vegan bunless falafel burger


Serves: 4
timePrep time: 45 mins
timeTotal time:
Vegan bunless falafel burger
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole

Vegan bunless falafel burger


Serves: 4
timePrep time: 45 mins
timeTotal time:

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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
456Kcal
Fat
30gr
Saturates
10gr
Carbs
22gr
Sugars
5gr
Fibre
13gr
Protein
17gr
Salt
0.5gr

Paul Smith

Paul Smith

Paul Smith is head chef at The Willow Health Restaurant & Bar in Kingston-upon-Thames, serving wholesome delicious food that’s nutrient dense.
See more of Paul Smith’s recipes
Paul Smith

Paul Smith

Paul Smith is head chef at The Willow Health Restaurant & Bar in Kingston-upon-Thames, serving wholesome delicious food that’s nutrient dense.
See more of Paul Smith’s recipes

Ingredients

  • 8 large portobello mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted, plus extra to fry
  • a large handful of rocket leaves
  • 2 ripe vine tomatoes, sliced
  • 4 tbsp almond butter, stirred
For the falafel burgers
  • ½ medium courgette, grated
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 125g drained cannellini beans
  • 1 x 215g tin chickpeas, drained
  • 50g gram (chickpea) flour
  • 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp Cajun spice
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
For the avocado slaw
  • 100g red cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1 large ripe avocado, flesh chopped
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • a pinch of flaked sea salt, to taste
  • 1 small carrot, finely grated

Step by step

Get ahead
Make the falafel burgers 1 day ahead and chill. Bake the mushrooms an hour ahead, keep at room temperature and griddle just before serving.
  1. For the burgers, fry the courgette in the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside and leave to cool. Blitz the drained beans and chickpeas to a coarse purée in a food processor, transfer to a large bowl and add the gram flour, a pinch of salt and the herbs, spices and garlic. Add the cooled courgette to the bowl and mix well. Form into 4 burgers, transfer to a plate or board, and chill.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Take the stalks off the mushrooms by twisting them gently. Brush all over with the coconut oil and a pinch of salt, roast for 10-15 minutes on a baking tray until softened but still holding their shape. Heat a chargrill pan and fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes per side to pick up char lines. Remove from the pan onto a kitchen paper-lined plate – they release quite a lot of liquid, so change the paper if you need to while you sear the rest. Keep warm.
  3. To make the avocado slaw, blanch the red cabbage in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes. Drain well in a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain again and pat dry with kitchen paper. Put the avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and salt in a small blender and whiz until smooth, adding a splash of water if you need to. Tip into a large bowl and add the blanched cabbage and the carrot. Toss well to coat and season again with more lemon juice and some salt, if you like.
  4. To cook the burgers, heat a knob of coconut oil on a medium heat in a nonstick pan. Fry for 3 minutes on each side or until golden and heated through.
  5. Put a few rocket leaves and slices of tomato in one of the mushroom caps to make a base ‘bun’, sit a falafel burger on top and add 1 tablespoon of almond butter and a spoonful of avocado slaw. Sit another mushroom cap on top as a ‘lid’, so it looks like a burger. Skewer with a cocktail stick, and serve with the rest of the avocado slaw. Use knives and forks rather than picking it up!
Chef quote
At The Willow in Kingston upon Thames, head chef Paul Smith specialises in healthier dishes, like this bunless, vegan-friendly falafel burger. He says: ‘We replaced the bun with portabella mushrooms. This not only adds flavour but reduces the carbs.’

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