mmm, i love a good lentil burger! i made a LOT of these while i was in australia this january to chuck on the barbie alongside everyones meat (don't you love my mum's spotty pink plate?). lentils cook nice and fast - you can find some great recipes for different burgers/patties online and in books, i usually make them up as i go, something like this:
LENTIL BURGERS:
1. Wash 1 cup red lentils, cover with water and cook for about 20 mins, drain.
2. While lentils cook, fry a finley chopped onion and 3 cloves crushed garlic in some olive oil.
3. Once lentils have cooled, mix in a bowl with the onion/garlic mix, along with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg (or you can use ground flax seed mixed with water for a vegan alternative), fresh chopped herbs (parsley, oregano, chives etc), any or all of the following: 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp dried coriandor/cilantro, curry powder, salt and freshly ground pepper.
4. Shape into patties and bbq/fry!
I also experimented after trying one at a yummy organic cafe and made chickpea and potato patties too - basically cooking chickpeas (you could also use canned), making some mashed potato , then putting the 2 together in the blender. Afterwards i added a ton of fresh mint along with the breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. they weren't exactly the same as the cafe, but still yummy!
i made an extra batch to wrap individually and stick in my dad's freezer...it's a nice easy dinner for him to grab out a few burgers, re-heat and have with a salad. he misses my cooking ;) so he says, anyway.
and...this will be my last post before heading off to italy to gorge on many things not green, or vegan, or fat-free - but cheesy, sugary and very delicious!! so i'll leave you with a parting shot of my broccoli babe - i'm very lucky that both my girls consider a bowl of broccoli to be a treat from the gods - i serve it up to them steamed for lunch many times a week, and they couldn't be happier. ciao!
