Spicy, Low-Fat Veggie Burgers (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free

Prose's Note:

These flavorful patties are baked instead of fried! I modified this recipe from The Great American Detox Diet by Alex Jamieson. These burgers freeze well if individually wrapped. Reheat them in the microwave or oven or on the grill.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 6.0 patties

• 1/4 cup onion, grated
• 1/4 cup bell pepper, grated
• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (or 1 15-ounce can, drained)
• 1/2 cup flax seed, ground
• 1/2 cup almonds or 1/2 cup other nuts, crushed
• 2 tablespoons shredded carrots
• 2 tablespoons shredded celery (remove veins with a veggie peeler)
• 1 fresh jalapenos (optional) or 1 other hot pepper, finely minced (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Braggs liquid aminos or 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Squeeze grated onion and bell pepper in a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
3. Mash most of the lentils.
4. Combine all of the ingredients. Your hands are the best tool.
5. For best flavor, allow the ingredients to marry by letting the mixture sit, covered, at room temperature for an hour.
6. Use a 1/3- or 1/2-cup measuring cup to scoop the mixture. Pack tightly into cup then invert onto greased baking sheet for a total of 6 scoops, leaving lots of room in between. Smash each scoop into a patty shape using your hands or other flat surface.
7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Be VERY CAREFUL when you flip them, as they are still rather delicate.
8. Serve with whole-grain buns and all the condiments.

Reviews

[Wish I Could Cook]

These are awesome! And the recipe was flexible enough to succeed even though I fiddled a little based on what was in the cupboard... I used black beans, cashews, and skipped the jalapeno and ground red pepper. In hindsight, I should have upped the chili powder a little to compensate, but I am a bit of a spice wimp... Rather than getting my grater out, I plugged in the food processor and just threw everything in all at once. Worked perfectly! I made them on my indoor grill and they held together very nicely. Once this batch disappears, I'm going to make another to keephandy in the freezer!

[Kim Petro]

This is the first time I've ever made or eaten Veggie Burgers! WOW! I'm hooked! These were every thing I had hoped they would be. I will deninately be making these again. Thank you for posting Prose. Made for Veggie Swap 20, March 2010.

[Kat'sUp]

These were great, even though I goofed up. I decided to make extra lentils to use in another recipe, but my Mom called and I accidentally added ALL the lentils. I didn't measure them in the first place, lol, so I have no idea how much I used, but it was a LOT. So, I didn't have enough nuts to make the recipe as written. I added some Italian style breadcrumbs instead. I added extra tomato paste and extra soy sauce. I didn't have carrots (I thought i did) so I threw in a cup of mixed veggies (including carrots) instead. I've never made lentils before and I think I overcooked them because they were mushy, but i saw later in the recipe it said to mush them up, so I figured it was OK. I tasted some of the mixture before I made them into burgers, and didn't like it, but I was pleasantly surprised after they were finished. They turned out really good. I only did up 3 burgers, and as an experiment I put some of the mixture in the no stick frying pan to see if it would simulate ground beef...and it did! I have a ton of the mixture left over, so I'm going to make more burgers, and also do some up as ground beef and freeze it. I want to try it with a box of Hamburger Helper.
I will definitely try this recipe again in the future...and I'll make sure I have the right ingredients next time.
Oh, the dogs were begging the entire time these were cooking, so I gave them some...they LOVED it. Thanks for sharing.