Cooking Fresh ~ Lentil Burgers

Last week I posted my Lentil Burgers on my Facebook and Instagram pages and lots of requests for the recipe.  And not to toot my own horn but they were sooooooo good... TOOT TOOT!  I even told my husband that they might have just been the best bean burger I've ever had!  WOW!!!  I am no where close to being or becoming a vegetarian but I am always eager to taste the bean burgers I see on the menu when we go out to eat....so I have had my fair share!

If you follow me on social media, you can see that I absolutely LOVE cooking and strive to cook as fresh and healthy as I possibly can.  A few weeks ago I made a really big pot of lentil soup and I froze half to enjoy on another day.  The soup by itself was delicious!  It was made using dried lentils, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper- I had no idea how much I would enjoy the leftovers this much.  But when you are cooking fresh everything tastes better!  There are so many layers to flavoring and when you cook from scratch you are in control.  Sure you can substitute with prepared items but it's just not the same!

To form the patties I started by using a slotted serving spoon and scooping out a few big spoons of lentils.  Using my fresh baked bread, I made some bread crumbs by toasting a few slices then chopping them up.  To the crumbs I added dried chopped onions, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of mayonaise and combined everything.  The mixture needed to be a little wet in order to stay together to form the patties.  Heat your griddle or hot pan and a little bit of olive oil and brown the patties on both sides.  And that's it! (Sorry I don't have pictures for the patties......I didn't know I was going to be sharing!)

Now that the patties are done, the burger assembly can begin.  If you are feeling bold, I would suggest definitely making the pretzel buns.  In my opinion that is one of the best parts of this whole thing!  Click here for the recipe I got off of Pinterest.  I have made it about 5 times and the buns never last at my house! DELICIOUS...... but proceed with caution!!!!  If you are lacking time, you can easily just pick up your favorite hamburger buns at the grocery store and be all set.

I dressed my burger with a spicy mayo spread and LOTS of freshly shredded cabbage.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!  Let me know how yours turns out.




*Disclaimer-  I don't use measurements on purpose when I am cooking and rely strictly on my pallet.  Taste, taste, taste!!!!  If you think it needs more of something.....add it!  Start light and season along the way!

LENTIL SOUP:

-dried lentils
-chicken stock (homemade or low sodium store bought)
-cumin
-salt & pepper
-garlic
-onions
-potatoes
-carrots
*This is a simple dish, just throw everything in the pot bring to a boil and then\ let it simmer on low until the lentils, carrots, and potatoes are cooked through but not mushy.


LENTIL PATTIES:

-lentils (about 2 cups of cooked lentils from your soup or store bought, drained)
-bread crumbs (fresh or store bought)
-dried chopped onions
-garlic powder
-onion powder
-whole oregano
-paprika
-salt & pepper
-1 TBS mayonaise

*Set pan or griddle to medium-high heat and add (or spray) the pan with a TSP of olive oil.  Brown the patties on both sides to create a nice crunch.  If you use a non-stick pan, you don't need a lot of oil at all!  Done!
**As far as the seasonings go, I would start with 1/2 TSP of each and add more accordingly.

SPICY MAYO:

-2 TBS of mayonaise
-hot sauce of your choice (I used Tabasco) and to your heat preference
-garlic powder (a few dashes)


You can also dress your lentil burger with all your hamburger favorites!!  Mmmmm!  I'm definitely making this again!