Veggie burgers on a bun - Am I the only one who finds them to be gum smacking dry? I mean it's like having some bread with your bread, right?! Well actually, I know it isn't just me that feels this way because I have Heidi from 101 Cookbooks to thank for this idea: make the burger BE the bun! How novel! She is one seriously smart cookie.
I've played around with quite a few veggie burger and bean burger recipes with the disappointing result of either too dry, falling apart, or lacking in flavor; and each time after running out of patience deciding that they'd be best utilized for target practice with my garbage can! But homemade is so much better than anything at the store and I just couldn't give up - now I'm happy to finally say that I've been pleasantly rewarded for that. I love it when that happens!
I filled these lentil patty's with avocado, lettuce, tomato and artichoke hummus. Other good fillings would be sprouts, onions, roasted peppers, cheese, spreads, etc. I'm a fan of going with whatever's in the fridge for things like this. If you're not going to eat them all right away, you can stack them (separated by wax or parchment paper), and freeze in an air-tight container or ziploc bag. Thaw in the fridge the day before you want to use them. Or, as a way to make something different, I broke up a couple of patty's, sauteed in olive oil for about 5 minutes on medium/high heat, and used them as a filling for vegetarian tacos along with some shredded lettuce and a corn salsa.
Lentil Burgers
Makes 10 4oz patty's creating 5 tasty bunless burgers
3 cups of cooked lentils (Approx. 1 1/2 cups dry)
1 cup of finely diced onion
1 cup of shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)
1 1/2 cups of toasted whole grain breadcrumbs*
4 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce, shoyu or tamari
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
For the breadcrumbs, pulse about 3 slices of whole grain bread in a food processor until finely ground. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes, stirring 1-2 times. Measure out to 1 1/2 cups (there might be more).
Keep oven on at 350
1. Combine the lentils and eggs in a food processor, blend until most of the lentils are ground up but not all of them. Leaving some pieces whole gives this a good texture.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lentil/egg mixture with all other ingredients. Let sit for 10-15 minutes for the breadcrumbs to absorb most of the moisture.
3. Form into 10 pattys (about 4oz each) and lay out on a baking pan lightly greased with olive oil.
4. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, carefully flip each one and bake for another 10 minutes. Use 2 patty's per serving and fill with whatever you wish!
