Lentil-Chickpea Burger

I was at a dinner party last night and heard a couple people mention following me on facebook and reading my blog (I love when that happens), and then someone said, "But I haven't seen much lately"  (I hate when that happens!).  But he was right.  I've been so busy cooking for other people, having classes and doing freelance recipe writing and editing (and don't get me wrong - I'm loving it!), but that has left my poor little blog neglected.

So here I am, with one of my favorite new veggie burger recipes: Lentil-Chickpea Burgers.  I made it last month for one of my weekly clients who's interested in eating more vegetarian meals, and it was such a hit that she requests it every week.  Sounds like a good comeback blog item to me.....

I start out by cooking lentils.  I prefer green lentils because they tend to hold up better than red lentils.  You only need 1 cup of cooked lentils for the burgers, but I find it a little more difficult to cook small amounts of lentils, so I go ahead and use 1 cup uncooked; it'll yield more lentils than you need, but you can save the rest and add to soup or a salad.  Put the lentils and enough water to cover by a couple inches (usually 3 times the amount of dried lentils) in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  I only cook them for about 10 minutes, so they are still fairly firm.  Then drain them, measure out 1 cup and put them in a food processor.

Add a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), some shredded carrot, chopped scallion, fresh cilantro, ground cumin and coriander, lemon zest and salt & pepper.  Pulse it to break down the ingredients a bit , then add an egg and some panko and pulse again until fully combined.

Since I work with people who avoid both of those last ingredients, I have a couple alternatives for you, if you are in the same boat: instead of an egg, you can make a flax slurry - 1 tablespoon ground flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water is the equivalent to 1 egg (let it sit for a couple minutes to congeal), and if you are going gluten-free, just place a couple slices of toasted gluten-free bread in a food processor and blend until you have breadcrumbs.

Form the mixture into 4-6 patties, depending on the size you like and pan fry in oil about 4-5 minutes per side until lightly browned - a cast iron skillet will help facilitate that beautiful browning.  Leave enough space between patties so that you can easily flip them.

I top mine with a little avocado sauce - blend 1 avocado, juice of 1 lime, a handful of cilantro, about 1/2 cup water and a pinch of salt in a Bullet or mini chopper.  If you only have a blender, this amount may be too small to blend properly, so double it, using just enough water to get the consistency you like. 

Lentil-Chickpea Burgers
Serves 4

1 cup cooked green lentils
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 large scallion, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 cup panko
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

• Place cooked lentils, chickpeas, carrot, cilantro, scallion, zest, cumin and coriander in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 4-5 times to break down the ingredients.
• Add panko, egg, salt and pepper and continue to pulse until well blended.
• Form into 4-6 patties, depending on your taste.
• Heat oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) and cook 4-5 minutes per side until lightly browned.

Yum it up.....and cook happy!

Sprouting Won't Get the Best of Me!

So let's talk about sprouting....what the heck, why, what?  Sprouting beans and seeds help to make the nutrients in them more easily absorbed by our bodies, and are easier to digest...and it turns out, it's kinda' fun.  It also amps up the nutrients of the beans or seeds that you work with..... up to six times more nutritious than the raw or cooked version.

I'd bought sprouts before, but had never imagined making my own until I was in the Natural Chef program at Bauman College.  A few years ago when I was a student, we were given seeds, a mason jar and instructions, with the goal of coming to class a week later to share our sprouts.

I was the only student who was unsuccessful.   Boooooo!  Well, truth be told it was a "Girl's Weekend"; that once-a-year weekend when my college girlfriends come spend the weekend at my house.  There's a lot of fun and laughter and stories and food....and wine.  Ooooops, that may have had something to do with why I didn't quite follow the instructions in those first couple days of sprouting.

Now as the kitchen manager at Bauman College, the students don't have to sprout.....I do. (Yikes!)

Last semester one of the instructors was my pinch hitter. Chef Marcella, said, "I'll do it" when she saw the fear in my eyes.  This semester, however, I decided that sprouting would not get the better of me.... I'm sprouting!!  And I did!!

Here's the deal:
I soaked 1/3 cup of lentils in filtered water overnight (yes, it needs to be purified water for best results),
I drained the water and put the lentils in a 2 quart mason jar with a square of cheesecloth sealed with the ring or a ubber band over the top.
Keep it tilted in a dish drainer, making sure that the lentils, beans or seeds don't cover the mouth of the jar...need to let the air flow into the jar.
Rinse and drain the bean/seeds each morning and evening (just fill the jar with filtered water and drain thru the cheese cloth).
In three to five days, they'll "sprout" like in the above pic....you'll see little tails.

Marcella sent me a recipe by Heidi Swanson's 101Cookbooks.com to make today.....I was skeptical, but it was delicious, and the students ATE IT UP!

Here's a link to the recipe:  http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/sprout-salad-recipe.html

I used lentils instead of mung beans, and they sprouted within a few days just as easily.

The dressing is so simple, but amazingly delicious: chopped arugula, chives, Greek yogurt (I used goat yogurt for a little tang and to accommodate my lactose intolerant friends) and a pinch of salt.  Heidi suggests serving it on the side; I agree.

Really does go to show that the best things are the simple things....

The base of the salad is equally simple and equally yummy,,,,the sprouted beans, toasted almonds, avocado, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Sounds like "are you kidding me?" but tastes like ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!"

I was amazed...and I will be sprouting again.  And again and again!

Yum it up!!