Falafel Burgers ♥ (Lentil Burgers)

Falafel Burgers (Lentil Burgers), another Meatless Monday Recipe ♥ AVeggieVenture.com. Naturally Gluten Free. Low Cal.
Meaty lentils formed into vegetarian (and easily vegan-ized) veggie burgers, like falafel except shaped into burgers. Naturally Gluten Free. Very Weight Watchers Friendly, just four SmartPoints! Hello, Meatless Monday!

So here's the story.

Just days before Christmas one year way way back, my big Cuisinart food processor gave up the ghost. Quit. Failed. Died. Went kaput. And I panicked! How would I cook without a food processor?! I know, I know. #FirstWorldProblems. My mom and I trekked from one Christmas-packed mall to another to seek out a mini Cuisinart, the little prep food processor.

But that little guy was completely unimpressive. I couldn't figure out why Cuisinart would attach its name to a worthless inferior product and off it went to Goodwill. (There was good news. Believe it or not, it took some weeks but Cuisinart was great about fixing my food processor. Since then, I've needed another bowl or two but that now-30-year old Cuisinart remains an old workhorse!)

Fast Forward. Somehow I came to own another mini food prep device, call it a "mini food processor", if you will. It's still not in the same class as the big Cuisinart but both are welcome and much-used in my kitchen. I bring this up because, well, if you have a mini food processor, it'll be put to good use with this recipe! Go dig it out!

RECIPE for FALAFEL BURGERS (LENTIL BURGERS)

Hands-on time: 40 minutes
Time to table: 90 minutes
Makes 8 burgers

LENTILS
1-1/4 cups (233g) lentils, rinsed
2 teaspoons table salt
Water to cover plus two inches

OATS
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon table salt
2 cloves fresh garlic

BURGERS
1 large egg, beaten lightly with a fork
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Mashed Lentils
3 tablespoons Oat Flour-Garlic mixture
Salt & pepper to taste
Remaining Oat Flour, for coating

YOGURT MINT SAUCE
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, thinned with a little buttermilk
1/3 cup fresh chopped mint
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

TO SERVE
Olive oil, to fry
Lemon wedges, to squeeze over the burgers
Fresh mint leaves, to garnish

COOK & MASH THE LENTILS Bring the lentils, salt and water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and let simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Don't undercook the lentils, they must be quite soft to mash. Drain the lentils and return to the hot pan. Use a potato masher to mash the lentils to a smooth, well, lentil mush.

[Dish-wise, if you'd like to use the food processor for the fresh mint, do it now, before the oats. That way, you won't need to wash it before doing the oats.]

GRIND THE OATS In a mini food processor, grind the oats and salt until the oats become a fine oat flour. Set aside all but 3 tablespoons of the Oat Flour; put it into a large flat bowl, you'll use it to coat the burgers. Add the garlic to the 3 tablespoons of Oat Flour and process again until the garlic is finely minced.

FORM THE BURGERS In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients. With your hands, form 1/3-cup flat-ish patties. Working carefully with the delicate burgers, coat the tops and bottoms of the burgers with the remaining Oat Flour, then arrange on a plate or baking sheet, anything flat. Refrigerate the burgers, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes.

MAKE YOGURT MINT SAUCE Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

TO SERVE In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil on medium heat until shimmery. Add the burgers and cook until firm and crisp on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve hot with Yogurt Mint Sauce, with lemon wedges and mint leaves on the side.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS Mix the burgers and the Yogurt Mint Sauce a day or two ahead of time, then fry the burgers just before serving.

LEFTOVERS The cooked burgers reheat beautifully, just a minute or so in the microwave.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
LENTILS Green? Brown? Black? Rainbow? :-) I used green lentils and think that all the colors/varieties would work though the cooking time may vary.
LENTILS NOT COOKING? It happens. Here's why. Why Dried Beans Won't Cook. I'm sorry, there's really no fixing this except carryout pizza.
FORMING THE BURGERS The burger mix is quite soft, not impossible to work with but smaller burgers are definitely easier to keep together than larger burgers. The mixture does firm up in the fridge so if you've got time, you could refrigerate it for 30 minutes or so before forming the burgers.
NO FOOD PROCESSOR TO GRIND THE OAT FLOUR? No problem. Just substitute something like soda crackers or another cracker and crush/grind them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or even your hands.



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MORE FAVORITE BURGER RECIPES

~ Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce ~
~ Homemade Black Bean Burgers ~
~ Spinach Burgers ~
~ more veggie burgers ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Chicken Burgers with Fresh Spinach, Feta and Garden Tzatziki Sauce ~
~ Green Chili Burgers ~
~ Jerusalem Turkey Burgers with Zucchini ~
~ more burger recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

SEASONAL EATING: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS

Cauliflower-Broccoli Cheddar Horseradish Gratin Roasted Parsnips with Pine Nuts Cream of Celery Soup Fragrant Roasted Beets Beet & Walnut Salad Zucchini Lemon-Honey Salad Zucchini Moons with Mint & Parsley Microwave Green Beans with Tomatillo Salsa Dressing Green Chutney Reuben Casserole (< leftover corned beef?) Carrot Cake Cupcakes Roasted Broccoli with Lemon & Garlic Sushi Salad Crustless Quiche with Roasted Peppers (< this week's healthy favorite!) Cauliflower Hummus Creamy Spinach with Artichokes (< a great choice for Easter!)

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2016


Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I actually use our mini food processor much more than the big one. Great for mincing garlic and ginger for Indian or Asian dishes, for example. Anyway, I've never made falafel burgers. Probably time to give them a try, don't you think? Good stuff -- thanks.

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  2. A tenderizer mallet works to crush crackers too.

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  3. They look delicious! I've always wanted to make my own falafel burgers and I think this is going to make a great recipe! Thanks for sharing =)

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  4. These look delicious.

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  5. I was wondering if I could make a batch of these and freeze them. HAve you ever frozen them? would you recommend freezing them before frying or after?

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna