Over the last few weeks I've been working my way through the yummy recipes in 'The Meat Free Monday Cookbook' . The concept behind this simple and world changing campaign was created by Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney (yes THE Paul McCartney one of the awesome Beatles).

The concept is simple - eating meat-free one day a week can significantly help the environment by cutting down on the greenhouse gases produced by farm animals. It’s not just great for the Earth it’s also good for your health.

The World Cancer Research Fund recommends that we eat no more than 500g of red meat a week. This includes lamb, bee, pork and processed meats such as bacon, salami, ham and sausages.

You do not have to be a vegetarian to love this cookbook! The recipes featured in this yummy book are easy to make and really tasty. There are lunch ideas, snacks, dinner menus as well as irresistible desserts.

Here is one I tried our yesterday, which will become a regular in our household. The kids loved it and my husband gave it the thumbs up so it must be good!

LENTIL, CHICKPEA, CHEDDAR AND ONION BURGERS

SERVES 4

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 400g can lentils, drained and rinsed
• 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
• 1 large organic egg, beaten
• 100g (3 ½ oz) fresh breadcrumbs
• 100g (3 ½ oz) grated Gruyère
• 100g (3 ½ oz) feta, crumbled
• plain flour, for dusting
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

to serve (these are suggestions, get creative and improvise!)

• burger buns
• shredded lettuce
• sliced tomatoes
• sliced red onions
• sliced avocados
• sour cream
• tomato ketchup
• mayonnaise (or hummus)
• pickles and relishes

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, add the chopped onion and cook over a medium heat until tender but not coloured. Add the garlic, ground cumin and cayenne and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
    
2. Tip the lentils and chickpeas into the bowl of a food-processor and blend until coarsely chopped. Add the onion mixture, tahini paste and parsley, and blend again until combined and nearly smooth. Tip into a large bowl and add the beaten egg, breadcrumbs and both of the cheeses.
    
3. Mix together using your hands and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shape the mixture into patties and lightly dust in plain flour. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan, slide the burgers into the pan and cook until golden on both sides.
    
4. Serve in toasted buns with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and avocados and a dollop of soured cream, ketchup or mayonnaise and pickles of your choice. ( we replaced the mayon with Hummus and added beetrot instead of pickles)