The "Bean Chillin' Burger"

The “Bean Chillin’ Burger”

I have a dear friend of mine, Joseph, who got me addicted to saying "Just Chilling" to the point where that became my catchphrase! My vlog "Just Chilling with Just Shanners" was therefore birthed from that catchphrase, and years later, I just cannot get "chilling" out of my vocabulary! I've decided to see how I can play around with that word in everything I do, so here we have the "Bean Chillin' burger", perfect for when you're just chilling with your vegetarian friends! Haha, ok I'll stop now.

Anyway, I had the privilege of hosting dinner for one of my dear friends from London. Initially, I intended to make braised beef and go all out with the meaty stuff, then I decided to ask if she was allergic to anything two days before she was supposed to come to my house. I felt myself go weak when she told me she was not allergic to anything but that she was vegetarian, which is strange because it's not like I'm addicted to meat or anything. So, I decided to get back to the drawing board, change my menu and make sure it accommodated her. My sister was in for a surprise as she assumed that when I said I was making burgers, they'd be beef burgers at least! Now she is addicted to meat (I said what I said). 

I made my friend and our other guests a lovely three-course meal, starting off with my favourite leek, potato and ginger soup, followed by the Bean Chillin burger, and then a "peanut butter banana ice cream" (dairy free and vegan-friendly, woot-woot!) for dessert! I'll share the recipe for the ice cream in a separate post, in the meantime let's get down to business!

Recipe Serves: 4 adults

Preparation time: 15min

Cooking time: 20min

Assembling time: 5min

Total time: 40min 

Ingredients

½ of 400g tin Black beans

½ of 400g tin Red kidney beans

½ of 400g tin Black eyed beans

2 tablespoons peas

2 tablespoons sweet corn

½ Onion

2 peeled garlic cloves

¼ green pepper

¼ red pepper

¼ yellow pepper
50g breadcrumbs

1 large egg

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon mixed herbs

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon steak seasoning

1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning

2 tablespoons grated mature cheddar

Brioche burger buns

Burger sauce

Pickle

Rocket, spinach and watercress salad

1 large beef tomato

4 mature cheddar slices

Method

1. Place the black beans, black-eyed beans, red kidney beans, peas, sweet corn, onion, garlic cloves, green, red and yellow peppers in a food processor and blend
2. Lightly oil an oven tray and place it in a preheated oven at 200 C / Gas mark 5.
3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the egg, sea salt, mixed herbs, chilli powder, steak seasoning and all-purpose seasoning.
4. Stir the blended bean mixture into the large bowl with the egg. Add the breadcrumbs and mature cheddar cheese gradually, and mix until the mixture holds together and becomes sticky.
5. Divide the mixture into 4 patties. If you have time to spare, let them rest in the fridge for at least an hour to allow them to hold better. Otherwise, continue with the cooking process.
6. Spread a little bit of oil over each pattie before placing the oiled side down onto the baking tray. Spread a little bit of oil on the top side of each pattie, and bake for about 10 minutes on each side. Add a slice of mature cheddar cheese on top of each pattie and let it melt slightly while still in the oven. Once melted enough, take them out of the oven.
7. Spread a teaspoon of burger sauce on the bottom side of the brioche bun, add a teaspoon of pickle on top and place one pattie on it. Spread a teaspoon of burger sauce on the top side of the brioche bun and place a slice of tomato over it. Now add the spinach, cress and rocket salad on top of the patties and place the top bun. Serve while still hot.

TIP:

You may find that your mixture is falling apart when you're making a pattie. Try adding a little more breadcrumbs and also grate some cheddar which helps the pattie to stick together.

Chorizo Omelette - Father's Day brunch Special!

Father's Day brunch

It's Father's Day! That means I get to spoil my dad (as always 😉)  to a delicious meal. I enjoy spoiling my old man, and today I felt like making him something simple but scrumptious! Since I moved back home from uni, everything has been rearranged and it was a bit of a task getting around the kitchen cupboards to get what I needed! I opened the fridge and was so happy to find two of my favourite things in the world: chorizo and extra mature cheddar! My fridge suddenly feels heavenly (and in this heateavd, the cool air emanating from the fridge was truly a cosmic experience haha.

So I made chorizo, tomato and onion omelette, served with whole,eat bread (we're  doing this "healthy eating" thing in my house 🤗) but I cheekily spread some garlic and herb cream cheese on it for a bit of excitement! He absolutely loved it, and if anyone knows me very well, they know how much I value my dad's opinion on my cooking! Quite an achievement this 🙌🏾

Anyway, here goes:

For the egg "omelette":

Ingredients:

- 7 eggs
- a dash of milk
- a pinch of salt
- 1 whole white onion, chopped
- 2 slices extra mature cheddar cheese
- basil
- oregano
- 8 chorizo slices
- 5 cherry tomatoes sliced in half


Method:


1. Fry the onion and tomato in just a little bit of oil in a pan
2. Beat the eggs and add a dash of milk and a pinch of salt, whisk thoroughly and add to the pan
3. Immediately add 4 chorizo slices on top, and sprinkle dry basil and oregano dand allow to cook at very low heat 
4. Add bits of the cheddar on top, and add 4 more slices of chorizo on top the pan and transfer to the oven to cook the top part of the omelette
5. Once well cooked, serve
6. Sprinkle more basil to garnish or use fresh leaves instead

Serve with avocado and whole meal bread or whatever else you prefer.

Happy Father's Day 🤗

Teriyaki Chicken (served with rice and veg)

I'm such a huge fan of Asian Cuisine these days: from Indian (non spicey), to Chinese, to Japanese to Thai! Most of it has similarities here and there, but each nation has its own take on some dishes. Anyway, one of my favourites has to be teriyaki chicken! I was so amazed when I discovered just how easy it is to make, so I made it for the first time two days ago. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

Chicken breast fillets (2 big ones) nicely diced
1 tablespoon Cooking oil
1/2 cup Soy sauce (light instead of dark if you don't want your chicken to come out dark)
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 small garlic bulb, finely chopped
2 teaspoons All purpose seasoning
Salt and pepper

For the veg:

1 broccoli branch
Red bell peppers, sliced
Green bell peppers, sliced
1/2 a large white onion, sliced into moons
Mushrooms, sliced

Method:

1. Marinate the diced chicken breast in all purpose seasoning.
2. Pour the cooking oil into a large, non-stick pan and add the chicken
3. Stir fry for a minute and then add salt and pepper
4. Add the garlic and stir fry for a while longer
5. Stir fry until well cooked and then add the soy sauce, honey and sesame seeds
6. Once cooked, take the chicken out and leave the sauce in the pan
7. Add the vegetables all at once and stir fry. Avoid making them soggy
8. Strain out the sauce and use that with the chicken when you serve. The flavour of white onions will add an extra tastiness to your chicken

Leek, potato and ginger soup

This delicious soup is both hearty and super nutritious, and with each spoonful, you can almost taste each nutrient breaking down in your mouth! 😋
It is perfect for ANY day and can be enjoyed in any season. Its is rather easy to make and should take approximately 20 minutes including prep time. This recipe serves 6.

Ingredients

Ingredients

You will need:

Cooking oil (about a tablespoon or two)
1/2 white onion, sliced or diced
1/2 red onion, sliced or diced
3 medium/large potatoes, cubed
2 medium leeks, sliced
1 medium Garlic bulb
1 teaspoon All Purpose seasoning
fresh ginger (about 5cm)
1 litre of vegetable stock (you can mix 3 veg cubes with hot water to make this)
150ml single cream or crème fraîche
A pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional freshly ground black pepper and chives to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large and deep pan, and add the onions, potatoes, garlic, ginger and leeks. Stir fry for 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
2. Add the vegetable stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Season well with salt, pepper and All Purpose seasoning, and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Make sure you stir it regularly so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Once well cooked and mashy, pour it all in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Return it to the hob in a clean pan, stir in the cream or crème fraîche, and make sure it's nice and hot again before you serve.
5. Garnish with chives and freshly ground black pepper (Optional)

Bon appetit