I really love burgers and fries. My colleague Gcina will testify to this because I would indulge my cravings with her mostly. And it’s okay to be flexible with your diet especially if you eat clean seventy percent of the time - it’s called balance. However if you find yourself at MacDonalds more than once a month then you have a problem.

Long story short I tried to create a healthier version that you can enjoy more than once a week. I found the buns light and my pattie very filling. It didn’t leave me feeling bloated and it is completely gluten-free. Of course you could just make the buns and buy some pure beef patties. Couple that with some salad or fries and dig in.

Flaxseed buns

Ingredients

1 tbsp brown vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup cold water

150g golden linseed (also known as flaxseed) flour

50g oat flour

2 tsp baking powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

3. In a separate bowl add vinegar, olive oil and water. Whisk together.

4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and mix in the wet ingredients. Mix well until you start getting a thick batter. Let it stand for 15 minutes. During that time it will thicken.

5. Mould into buns the size of your palm. Any bigger and you will get a very dense bun.

6. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Red Kidney bean burger pattie

500g boiled red kidney beans (drain them and dry them out as much as you can)

2 eggs (If you’ve vegan or vegetarian you can use 3 tbsp of any sauce like tomato/Mrs Balls/Mustard or 1/2 cup of oat flour)

1 onion chopped really fine (best to grate it)

1 tsp garlic and ginger

2 tsp paprika/chillie powder/peri-peri spice

1 tbs olive oil

seasoning

Method

1. Mash beans and lentils

2. Add the rest of the ingredients in with your beans and mix well.

3. Shape to the size of the palm in your hand (the mixture will be wet, but it does firm up)

4. Grill in an oven for 20 minutes