Nutty Vegan Burgers

If you’ve given up hamburgers or beef for Lent, now would be the perfect time for you to try these totally vegan nut burgers.  They passed the test with my very picky meat eating friend and he even requested the recipe.  So, Craig, here you go.  Enjoy.

You’ll need:

1 cup cooked brown lentils, drained

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely minced onion

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped unsalted dry roasted cashews (Trader Joe’s has a nice sized package and very affordable)

2 tablespoons almond butter (I prefer salted)

2/3 cup dry bread crumbs (can use plain or seasoned depending on your taste)

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (I’ve also used cilantro instead, or just leave out the herbs if it’s not your thing)

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Step One: Cook the lentils. If you can find canned lentils, I suppose you could use those as long as you rinse them and drain them well.  I, however, have yet to see the all elusive canned lentil but I do keep a supply of dried on hand.  So, if you’re working with dried, measure out 1/2 cup of lentils.  Rinse them and discard any stones you might find.  Then put the lentils in a pot and cover with about two or three cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down a bit and mildly boil for 20 minutes (but check around the 15 minute mark because they might be done).   Once the lentils are done, drain them well and then put them aside.

Step Two: Go nuts! Re-inintroduce yourself to that big shiny gadget that you keep buried in the cabinets –the food processor.  IF your nuts are not chopped already, put them in the food processor and pulse them a few times until they are chopped.  If they’re already chopped, just add them to the food processor.  Also add the lentils.  Let it sit there patiently waiting for the other ingredients.

Step Three: Sautee. Heat the tablespoon of oil (i’d use the pot I cooked the lentils in).  Add the minced onion.  Sautee about 5 minutes.  You could also add some garlic in the final 30 seconds if you’d like. Put the onions in the food processor with the lentils and nuts.

Step Four: Blend. Now add all of the remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until well blended.

add a tablespoon or two of water if the mixture seems too dry or crumbly while processing

Step Five: Shape. Shape the mixture into patties.  Depending on how large you want them, you’ll get anywhere from six to eight burgers.

Step Six: Bake. Put the patties on a non stick baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  I’d recommend flipping the burgers midway to get even brownness on both sides.  IF you are a fan of fried foods, you can fry these burgers instead of baking.  Fry about five minutes per side.

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