Delicious, soft, melt-in-your-mouth burgers that are easy and cheap to make, and even contain unnoticeable veggies! + an easy homemade low sugar pickle recipe and lots of fun serving suggestions to suit a quick summer dinner or a holiday feast.
- 500 g (1lb) mince (I like lamb or lean beef best)
- 1 courgette (zucchini), grated
- 1 large (or 2 small) carrot(s), grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence or your favourite mixed herbs
- sea salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 small pickling cucumbers (the little ones) or 1 normal large cucumber, thinly sliced lengthways with a sharp knife or a mandoline
- a large pinch of sea salt (about 2 teaspoons)
- 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) apple cider vinegar
- 3-4 teaspoons rice syrup or raw organic honey (or a couple of drops of liquid stevia), to taste (depends how sweet/sour you like your pickles)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (or a pinch of mustard powder)
- 4 sourdough or wholemeal burger buns (use a low carb or gluten free option if needed)
- optional extras: full-fat mayonnaise or mustard, sliced tomatoes,sliced red onion, lettuce leaves or radicchio, sliced avocado
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If you are making the pickles, make them a day ahead: mix the sliced cucumbers with the sea salt and leave for at least 30 mins-1 hour, then squeeze out the excess water and add to a large sterilised jar. Bring the other ingredients to the boil in a large saucepan, then pour over the cucumbers in the jar. If the liquid doesn't cover the pickles, top up with a little filtered water (ideally boiled, but this isn't totally necessary). Put the lid on, but don't close all the way, and leave out on the counter at room temperature overnight (at this point you can keep them in the fridge for at least a month - we've never had any left longer than a few weeks but I'm told they can last much longer).
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For the burgers: mix all the ingredients together and form into patties (you can make 4 large patties or 8 small ones (or go for 6 medium if you want!). Fry in 1 tablespoon of coconut or olive oil for 3-4 minutes on each side, until the burgers are cooked through (if using lamb or beef, they can be a little pink). Serve in the burger buns with optional extras of your choice and pickles if you've made them. For a full fast-food experience, throw in some home-baked fries (potato or sweet potato - these swede ones are also yummy), and/or coleslaw. And to go all out, pour low sugar kombucha (should have less than 5g per 100ml) into a tall soda glass and top with a scoop of sugar free ice cream for a "soda float".