Lentil Burgers

Hello! Today was one of those days where it was hot and humid in Sydney and as much as I do love taking time to prepare meals sometimes in the summer heat cooking is the last thing I want to do! Luckily in the evening it cooled down though and I decided to make 'Lentil Burgers' from Lola Berry's Inspiring Ingredients book which I'm finding so handy at the moment. The great thing about this recipe is it makes about 12-15 medium patties which you can easily refrigerate and use within a few days in salads, wraps and sandwiches making quick, easy meals when you simply can't be bothered cooking.

Recipe: Lentil Burgers
Ingredients
- 500 grams green or brown lentils
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 1 small red pepper
- 2 carrots, grated
- 2 cloves garlic
- handful or chopped herbs , chopped (coriander, parsley, oregano, thyme or your personal favourite)
- generous handful of sesame seeds
- salt, pepper and chilli flakes, to taste
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil or olive oil
- A teaspoon or two of cumin/curry powder (optional)
Method
1. Rinse the lentils with water (this gets rid of the phytic acid, making them easier to digest). Add the rinsed lentils to a pot of hot water and cook for about 30 minutes or until they become mushy.
2. For the mixture: in a frying pan, soften onion and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add the grated carrot, followed by the finely chopped red pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
3. Once the lentils are cooked, drain and place in a large bowl. Mash them up using a potato masher or a fork, then add in the mixed herbs and the veggie mix from the fry-pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Next, shape the mixture into the size of burger you like, remembering that the larger the burger, the longer it will take to cook. If you want them to firm up a little more, stick them in the fridge for an hour or two.
5. Cooking: heat up your fry pan with either extra virgin olive or coconut oil. Coat burgers with sesame seeds and cook both sides of the burger until golden brown. Cook on medium heat to low heat to avoid sesame seeds from burning.
To serve: place lentil burger on hummus and wholegrain pita bread. Salad of rocket, cucumber, cherry tomatoes topped with pine-nuts and lime juice.

So this was my dinner (before I made it into a wrap). A few lentil patties on mountain bread with homemade hummus, rocket, cherry tomatoes, yoghurt and a dash of cumin. Yum!

Enjoy!

Hannah x