Chickpea Burgers with colourful salad and avocado-watercress dressing

Makes 20 mini burgers

1 (410g) can organic chickpeas, drained
1 carrot, peeled and finely grated (65g prepared weight)
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped,
50g/1/3 cup sunflower seeds
3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste), drained of any excess oil before measuring
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
1 handful fresh coriander leaves (20g/1 heaped cup)
1 tbsp organic wheat-free vegetable bouillon

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas Mark 7. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend for 10-15 seconds. Remove the lid and push the mixture down with a spatula. Blend once more until fairly smooth and thick.

2. Shape the mixture into 20 small balls and place on the prepared tray. If the mixture is too wet to roll easily into balls (which is sometimes caused by runny tahini), add another handful of sunflower seeds and blend once more.

3. Flatten the balls slightly with the back of a spoon and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and leave on the tray for 2-3 minutes to firm up a little. Lift carefully off the tray. Serve hot or cold with a colourful salad and lemon or lime wedges. Or make a quick raw salsa from chopped fresh tomatoes, coriander, red onion and avocado.

Make the mixture into larger burgers if you like – about 10 or 12. Cook for 15-20 minutes then cool slightly before lifting off the tray. Make the mixture go further by stirring in 100g/1/2 cup cooked long grain brown rice after blending the other ingredients.

These burgers are also fabulous served with this quick avocado and watercress sauce:

Simply blend the flesh from 1/2 a ripe avocado with a small handful of watercress, 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice and 6 tbsp cold water. (Use 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint instead of the watercress if you like.) Sprinkle one teaspoon raw shelled hemp seeds into dip. Fabulous.