Veg-Packed Burger with Homemade Pickles

Summertime: sun, beaches, holidays, and of course, BBQs. Unfortunately, we are still a long way off getting together enough money to do some work to our garden and make more of a “patio” space that will hopefully one day include a BBQ. I look forward to that day, but for now, summer BBQs are spent at other people’s houses.

But if we want the lazy summer feel of a BBQ without the equipment, we make burgers. Delicious, melt-in-your-mouth, sweet and soft burgers.

Oh, and they contain vegetables. Totally unnoticeable, but completely necessary vegetables. Because it turns out, a great way to improve a simple ground meat patty is by adding grated veggies. It adds moisture and flavour to the burger without compromising on…well, anything!

So if you want to enjoy a burger dinner as a family but either don’t have the BBQ’ing equipment handy, or just don’t want the faff, have a go at making these soft and yummy ones together. Burgers are really easy for kids to make, and they usually love the experience of the grating, mixing and shaping, especially for kids who love getting their hands (and kitchen) messy!

And the best bit? They see the veg go in, they add it to the burger mix themselves, so it’s not “hidden” or “sneaked” in, it’s just not tasted. They know it’s there – you can explain how soft and delicious it will make the burgers, but they just won’t taste it. Win-win.

And if you are like me, and crave the burger + pickle combination, do have a go at these simple pickles. They are really easy – my 2 and a half year old can do nearly the whole thing from start to finish once I’ve sliced the cucumbers for him, and they are really really tasty, but low in sugar and cost.

A perfect accompaniment to a flavoursome burger.

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Veg-Packed Burger with Homemade Pickles

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

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.

Course: Dinner, Entertaining, Gluten Free, Holiday, Low Carb, Lunch, Main Course, Summer

Servings: 8 small burgers (or 4 really big ones)

Author: Raising Sugar Free Kids

Ingredients

For the burgers:

• 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

For the pickles:

• 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)

To serve:

• 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

Instructions

1. 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).

2. 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".