Lentil-Grain Burgers My Kids Will Eat!
My children actually *beg* for these, and even my vegan-suspicious parents and sister had to admit they liked them. The original recipe is from the "Lean, Lucious, & Meatless" cookbook. I usually omit the cayenne and paprika and decrease the onion (I'm the only onion-lover in the house) and add ground flax and occasionally wheat germ, whatever. We eat it in pitas, on bread, with cheese, BBQ sauce, ketchup or tahini. I even stir-fry/scrambled it once when it didn't get sticky enough to make patties and served it over rice and they wolfed it down that way. We eat it quite a bit, especially during Lent. :o) Do make sure to cook it slowly enough to get really sticky or it will be very hard to keep the patties together when you flip them. It will keep several days in the fridge, chilling until you need it (prep time does not include chilling; not completely necessary in my experience, but helpful). The patties reheat well, too.
INGREDIENTS
Nutrition- 1⁄2
- 1⁄2
- 1⁄2
- 4 3⁄4cups water
- 1⁄2
- 1⁄2
- 1⁄2
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄2teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1⁄4teaspoons garlic powder
- 1⁄2teaspoon paprika
- 3⁄4teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
- Combine all ingredients in heavy pan on med heat.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low.
- Simmer uncovered 50 min, or until all liquid is gone and mixture is very sticky.
- (Don't cook it too fast or it won't be sticky enough to hold together-- if liquid is gone and mixture doesn't seem to stick, add a little more water and continue simmering.) Stir periodically throughout and then frequently near end of cooking time to prevent scorching.
- Remove from heat, place in covered container, and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.
- To cook burgers: Preheat skillet on medium, spray lightly with non-stick spray if desired.
- Wet hands lightly and shape patties from approx 1/2 cup chilled mixture each.
- Cook until browned on both sides-- turn carefully!