Small Spring Harvest: Homemade Hamburgers

Spring is upon us and the sun is shining :) We still get the occasional shower or two but other than that it is far better than winter...for my garden anyway. My plants have been enjoying the extra sunshine. So today I have an easy recipe for hamburgers using a small harvest from my garden :)

Today's little harvest included some continental parsley, spinach and kale.

For the hamburgers you will need:
500g of regular mince beef
some greens chopped up finely...in my case, my harvest for the day
1 onion finely chopped
1 egg
teaspoon of ground cumin
teaspoon of ground coriander
1 crushed clove of garlic
1/4 cup of polenta or bread crumbs to combine, use more if you need
salt and pepper

I must add that my measurements are EXTREMELY approximate so don't feel you have to measure everything exactly.

Combine all the ingredients with your HANDS so that it is well combined and shape into 6 hamburgers. Now lately I have been cooking my hamburgers in a moderate oven, 180 degree Celsius and have found it much easier than cooking them on the fry pan. Just place them on some baking paper on a baking tray with no oil. Pop them in for about 15 minutes and check on them. When they are brown underneath, turn them over and continue to cook until the other side is brown. You will find that by using this method your hamburgers will not break apart as mine sometimes do in the fry pan when I don't have time to set them in the fridge for a while. Once they are cooked pop them into hamburger rolls and add all your favourite fillings...enjoy!

Raw Chocolate Brownies (Guilt Free!)

More and more people in today's world are realising the damaging effects of certain foods to their health. This could range from gluten to wheat to dairy to white sugar to meat or to anything else for that matter. Whether you are cutting out meat, wheat, dairy or all animal foods I have a delicious recipe that is free of all of the above! Just because we may eliminate certain foods for our own personal reasons, it does not mean that we deprive ourselves of life's pleasure. Instead, it means that you embrace life and continue to enjoy your sweet treats, in this case brownies. You will find that making changes to your diet is not a life of deprivation where you live off lettuce leaves and water. It means that you live a little more consciously to research alternative ingredients that are beneficial to your health instead of using those that are detrimental.

So today I have a recipe for Raw Chocolate Brownies

You will need....
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of pitted dates
2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil
5 tablespoons of organic cacoa powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of agave nectar

Method

1. Begin by blitzing your walnuts in a food processor until it resembles a crumb mixture.
 2. Add your dates and continue to blitz.
 3. Transfer this mixture to a mixing bowl where you add the remainder of your ingredients.

 4. Mix with a spoon to combine.
5. Press the mixture into your desired dish...not too big
6. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours minimum.
Enjoy!

Ps. next time I will try a chocolate avocado frosting to go on top...stay tuned!