A splash of colour for a dreary dismal August Sunday

We were completely fed up with the constant misty drizzle and grey weather today, so we took ourselves down to the market this morning and came back with this colourful loot.

Beetroot, walnut and feta burgers with roasted carrot hummus.
Makes 4 large or 6 medium sized patties.
400g uncooked beetroot
2 shallots
80g parmesan or mature cheddar cheese
100g feta cheese
140g chopped toasted walnuts
3 tablespoons finely chopped mint
150g breadcrumbs
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.

Begin by peeling and grating the beetroot. Dice the shallots finely and soften gently in olive oil in a preheated pan, add the grated beetroot turn down the heat and cook for around 4 minutes to soften and release their flavour. once softened slightly leave aside to cool a little.

In a medium sized bowl crumble the feta, grate the parmesan and add the walnuts, breadcrumbs, mint and lemon juice. Add the beetroot mix to the bowl and combine well at this point i added about 1/2 a beaten egg just to help it bind. Taste for seasoning, the parmesan and feta will add saltiness so you may just need a good twist of pepper. Shape into patties.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment paper and bake turning over half way through, for approximately 25 minutes.

Roasted carrot hummus
Makes about 300g
200g carrots cut into bite sized pieces
200g tinned chickpeas
1 small clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice 1/2 small lemon
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
season to taste

I par boil the carrots first before roasting in a preheated oven (200 degrees celcius) for approximately 15 minutes. Then simply blend all the ingredients together in a blender until a nice smooth consistency is reached. I always add a splash of boiled water if the mixture is a little too stiff.

To go with these burgers i made sweet potato chips roasted in coconut oil and a yoghurt and mint dip. It was all devoured i can tell you all.