The Student Diet

As I’m bogged down with deadlines and Christmas meals, I thought I would do something a little different for this next blog post and share with you a cheap, easy, and filling recipe that will warm the cockles of your heart this winter. What’s more, it’s vegan and gluten-free!

I’ve been vegetarian for around two months now, and I’m flirting with the idea of veganism with the plan to completely eliminate animal by-products from my diet once I return from the Christmas holidays. Three of the common misconceptions about vegan food are that it’s expensive, time-consuming, and bland. Well this simple recipe will show you the error of your ways! It’s cheap, quick, and very tasty – a perfect recipe for students at the University of Leicester or anywhere.

Sweet Potato, Bean, and Lentil Burgers  Serves 2

Ingredients:

Burgers

1 x Large sweet potato

1 x Can of mixed beans, drained

200g of red lentils

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

2 crushed gloves of garlic

½ teaspoon of chilli flakes

2 teaspoons of paprika (use half smoked paprika if you have it)

A generous helping of chopped fresh coriander

To cook

A small amount of any kind of oil

To serve

Bread rolls (can be regular or gluten-free depending on your requirements)

Salad

Hand-cut and roasted potato wedges (or just some frozen oven chips!)

Method

1. Place a saucepan of water on the hob and bring to the boil. Scrub the sweet potato and cut into small cubes. Cook the sweet potato in the water for 20 minutes or until soft.
2. Drain the potato and set it aside in a mixing bowl to cool whilst you cook the lentils according to the instructions on the packet.
3. Mash the sweet potato and mix in the beans, cooked lentils, spices, and herbs. Feel free to throw in any other spices or seasonings you may have in your cupboard to compliment the recipe (I love to add a large dash of lime juice, but these could work easily well with some cumin and turmeric thrown in for a curried taste).
4. Once the mixture is combined, lightly mash to break down some of the beans.
5. Form into ‘burger’ patties by taking a generous handful of the mixture and working it into a ball. Place the ball on a baking tray and press down.
6. I like to fry mine for around 5 minutes on each side, until brown, in a teaspoon of olive oil and then bake for around 20 minutes until perfectly crisp on the outside. However, you can cook them either way based on your requirements and preferences – Everything is already cooked you’re really just aiming to brown the outside and give the burger a crisp outer shell.

If you try making these burgers, let me know in the comments. I’m not a preachy vegan and am not trying to make anyone else restrict their diets (notice I haven’t even told you why I’m going vegan!) but we could all stand to eat a few more vegetables now and again…As a final year who works two jobs and plays a sport, I don’t have hours and hours to slave away on cooking dinner. I’m on a mission to find cheap and quick vegan recipes, so I’ll share a few with you below.

Until next time!

Grilled Buffalo Tofu Po’ Boy with Apple Slaw 

Vegan Lemon Fettuccine Alfredo – which can easily be adapted to vegetarian or omni diet.

Sugar Snap Pea and Carrot Soba Noodles – You could throw some chicken in this, if you must, I guess.