Delicious, crispy, melty lentil burger recipe

This is my own recipe. I made it up and tweaked it a few times until I was happy and have had a couple requests for it and I wanted to share it because it is really yum.

The pics are not great, because I took them in the dark and my counter was all messy so I couldn't pose them properly. Plus I was fighting Rene back at the time, who was salivating and chanting, "get in my belly" and had his arms stretched out like a zombie looking for brains, so I was kicking him back with one foot, balancing with the other while pleading, "just one photo, just let me get one photo first", and snapping up as quickly as I could.



Ok first a tip: I find there is often a variance with cooked lentils, depending on brand, volume of water used and length of cooking time. Adjust the measurements of dry/wet ingredients depending on how wet your lentils are. You want the patties to hold together well and hold their shape but not be too dry. If it's too sloppy, add more flour/breadcrumbs and if it's too dry, try adding in more chopped tomato/Worcestershire sauce.

Also, Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian. It has anchovies in it. But you can buy veggie/vegan alternatives, like this one.

INGREDIENTS

14 oz green lentils
2 slices bread
1/4 cup whole grain flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder
1.5 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp mustard
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2tbs oil or butter (maybe more)
6 slices swiss cheese

Cook the lentil according to package instructions. You want them soft and malleable, but not pureed.

Allow them to cool. Add seasonings and flour. Process the bread or grate with a cheese grater to make bread crumbs. Add to lentils.

Add all remaining ingredients other than swiss cheese and oil/butter

Mix together. Add more wet or dry ingredients if needed.

Melt 2 tbs of oil or butter (my preference is butter) in a large skillet. in moderate heat.

Take a lump of lentil mix and form a thin, wide patty. Place a slice of swiss cheese on top and fold in overhanging edges (leave a small amount overhanging for delicious crispy bits). Make an identical thin patty and place it on top, squashing it together slightly to make one big patty with cheese in the middle. Put patty in the frying pan and make some more to go beside it. Fry until golden brown and crispy on the outside with melty cheese in the middle. Yum!

Serve on a bun with mayo, ketchup and fresh salad. Rene said the leftovers were good with BBQ sauce on top.

Oh, it makes about 5-6 patties. You can double the recipe and freeze some.

Do try this one. It is a keeper. (If I do say so myself)

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Family of veggies

Lana and I became vegetarian in 2007 after she started crying when I served up chicken and she realized it was previously a live chicken. I have not regretted it at all, and I preached from my soap box about the issue here.

A year ago, Kaya decided she wanted to become vegetarian too. Mostly because Lana and I were, and I think she felt left out a bit. She loves the taste of meat and allowed herself to eat it on holidays, and she'd look so forward to holidays. But recently she won't even eat meat on holidays. She says she likes the smell of meat still, but never wants to eat it again.

Rene and I discussed what to do with Turtle and Zoe, and eventually agreed that we'd raise them vegetarian until they ever express an opinion otherwise. We won't feed them animals until they are old enough to understand meat comes from animals and request to eat it.

Which left us with Rene as the sole carnivore of the family. I rarely cooked meat for him, but he'd eat it if we went out to eat or if someone brought something at work etc. And then he'd eat meat, and as much of it as possible. He enjoyed it very much.



Until recently. I completely, did not put any pressure on him (I haven't even expressed opinion to him on the matter, so don't blame me, peeps!). He decided to go veggie too, out of love for his daughter. He is an amazing Dad! Read about his decision on his blog post about it .

So now we're a completely vegetarian family. It does make me very happy!

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Recipes - archive

Crispy, Melty Lentil Burgers





Veggie Masala





Sticky Toffee Pastries





Protein Brownies





Cheesy Cauliflower Pasta





Indulgent Lemon Cake





More food posts>>

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Real Milk

I'm Lacto-ovo vegetarian, which means I drink milk, eat dairy and eggs. The most convincing argument I've heard towards going vegan is that buying dairy is supporting the meat industry. Which I don't want to do. Maybe one day I'll take the plunge and go vegan, who knows.

Meanwhile, I've been reading about dangers of homogenized milk (gotta love an article that begins: "a human is not a fish") and about the benefits of raw milk. Now, this is a highly controversial subject and you will find strong arguments on either side. You know by now that I am a fan of natural and I tend to think that God knew what he was doing in the first place, so going back to nature is often the best way.



Of course there is a place for technology and we've learned a lot through science. One such thing we've learned is how to keep equipment sterile and avoid contamination of our food, which is why raw milk from a safe, sensible source, which is careful to consider food handling hygiene is much safer than raw milk used to be. It's not like you'd imagine, squeezing from the udder into an old bucket, stopping to wipe sweat off your brow then go back to milking.

Rene and I were thrilled to find a local source for grass fed, safe, organic raw milk. There's nothing like being able to see where and how the milk is made, and being able to pet the cows that produce the stuff you pour into your breakfast cereal.



(They usually are out in the pasture, btw. They don't live in this pen.) And you get to look into their eye and see that they are being well treated, they are healthy and treated with herbal medication where appropriate.





And we recently found that our friend a few miles north of us, has truly free range egg laying chickens. They are not fenced in by anything. They eat organic grain, and peck bugs from the ground. The eggs are delicious, such dark, strong, yellow yolks. And I love how non-uniform they are. All different shades, shapes and sizes. How do they even make the eggs so uniform in the chicken farms? I don't think I want to know.

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Sometimes, as a mother, I find myelf saying things..

..that I didn't expect to ever say. Sometimes it's something shocking, or so obvious it shouldn't need to be stated. Such as, "no Zoe, shoes are for our feet, not our mouths"


Other times it's something completely random and obscure. Like today, when I heard myself say, "no Kaya, let Lana choose it's name. It is her kiwi after all.



Yes, my vegetarian daughter names her fruit and vegetables (I think the kiwi was named, Henry). And yes, sometimes she refuses to eat it if she gets too attached to it. I never claimed she wasn't quirky.

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Now that's some good cheese

At IGA, our local grocery store, we came across some Irish cheese, made in the UK.



I know, I know, support local/sustainable etc. I know the fossil fuels etc in imports. But this cheese is so good and it tastes like home.


I was thrilled to see it is made with vegetable rennet.

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Breakfast ideas

We're trying to get away from eating processed cereals before they kill us.

We were starting to get a little fed up of oatmeal and pancakes, so I tried some new things. They turned out dee-lish so I thought I'd share.

Wheat Berry Breakfast Bowl


Based on this recipe but modified to suit. Also, I made it in the crock pot so it was ready in the morning. I'll be making this again for sure. It made loads of leftovers to just throw in the micro.


Strawberry Panzanella


Yum! From this recipe and it was a huge hit! Made with homemade bread. It becomes sort of candied in the oven, nice and crispy too, and the strawberries on top are so yum.


Strawberry and Mango Smoothies


Strawberries, mango, yogurt and honey. You could do it with tofu and syrup to make it vegan. We all loved it.


Feel free to fire any other vegetarian breakfast suggestions at me. We also do scrambled egg, garlic mushrooms, beans and roasted tomatoes sometimes. And banana toasties. And of course, waffles and french toast.

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The masala recipe

Sorry I've been an absentee blogger. We all have off weeks, right? I'll endeavor to do better this week.

So here's the recipe for the clean-out-the-crisper-masala. But I just made it up as I went along, and I'm doing my best here to remember so this might not be correct. Experiment with it yourself, and change things up according to taste.




The veggies I used were turnip, eggplant and red pepper. The turnip and red pepper were fantastic in it, but the eggplant wasn't quite right, I'll maybe try this again sometime, but use cauliflower in place of the eggplant. You can use whatever veggies you need to use up.


Veggies (I used turnip, eggplant and red pepper)
oil (I used canola)
1tbsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp dried mango powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp ground coriander seed
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground ginger (or you can use fresh, probably better)
1/8 tsp cardamom
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 - 2 cups tomato puree
1/4 cup water
1 small tub soured cream (I bet heavy whipping cream would work out much better, I just used what I had)



DIRECTIONS
Chop up veggies

Saute the turnip in a little oil and 2tbs water, for I guess 15 minutes ish, covered. Then add the other veg, and saute for an additional 5 minutes or so (just eyeball it, don't let the veggies get soggy).

Meanwhile in a small dish or tub, make a paste by mixing about 1-2 tbs oil and all the spices

Add paste to veggies, and stir well, for 2 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and water, stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes

Add cream, stir well and simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve over basmati rice.




I think that's about how I did it.

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Why am I a vegetarian?

I've been meaning to post about this for a while, but kept getting sidetracked.

Romans 14
"2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval...6 Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. "

I know you know when I went veggie, and the events that led to it, as I blogged about it at the time. But I thought I'd offer some insight into my feelings and reasoning about the issue.

I don't believe it's wrong to eat meat. Sure, Peter Singer's Animal Liberation is a very compelling book. But ultimately, I'm a Christian and I believe God gave us animals for consumption (amongst many other things, including companionship, and education). I don't preach vegetarianism at people and I don't believe everyone in the world must go veggie. Arguably, it could be detrimental to our eco system if they did!

Then why don't I eat meat? For me, I'd go as far as to say it would be a sin if I did. Bear with me here.

I have moral objections with the way we manufacture meat in the developed countries. The feedlots, mass producing meat by feeding them cheap corn they were never designed to eat, pumping them with antibiotics because they're living in their own filth, and basically treating them like they're not alive, they're simply assembly line items. I don't believe it's what God had in mind when he gave us permission to eat any meat.

Ok, so what then about humanely raised and butchered farm animals, or wild animals who are hunted? Not as bad at all, and if I was a meat eater, it's the way I'd go. However, I have to ask myself the question - would I personally be able to look the animal in the eye and kill it? Could I fire the gun, or slit the throat? No, I absolutely could not. Bottom line, meat doesn't just come from a package, and if I'm not willing to personally slaughter the animal, because it would convict me to do so, then I should not be eating it. Euphemistically wrapping it in plastic and sticking a nutritional information sticker on it doesn't change the fact that it lived and breathed and gave its life for this meal.

And it pangs my heart to think of that. I am a sensitive person, with a strong conscience. Some people feel comfortable with rearing and killing and cooking an animal and that's great. It would break my heart to watch the life pour out of one of God's creatures, at my own hands, just so I can add it to my menu. It hurts me to think about. So I shouldn't do it.

Ok, you have moral objections, but sin is too strong a word I hear you say. I'll respond with scripture:

Romans 14
14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong...
23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

So for me, with my convictions, I believe I'd doing the right thing by abstaining from meat. I don't believe it makes me any more holy or righteous than meat eaters with no conviction.

But I do believe God has a purpose for me, and that he made me the way I am for a reason. I am a sensitive soul, and I believe that he wants to nurture that in me, so he can use this "weakness" towards his glory. I can certainly think of some uses he can make of a person like me, with a strong passion to protect the beauty and sanctity of life. I'm not flawed, I'm not wrong. I'm created for a purpose as we all are. Let's allow some diversity and keep in mind:

Romans 14
3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t.
17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

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feak pie supper

One of the meals we used to enjoy in Scotland, when I was a carnivore, was steak pie and chips.

With all this puff pastry I've been making I figured I'd have a go at some veggie steak pie, or "feak pie" as I've been calling it.

It was a make it up as you go along thing, so I didn't expect it to work out. but it sure did. I think it will become a staple around here. It was even better than the real thing. And nothing had to die for it.



I made the seitan the night before, and it was the best seitan recipe ever. I'll be using it in future. So beefy and not rubbery, it was moist and juicy. Mmmmm. Then I cooked it up with the cooking (beef style) broth, some flour, seasonings, carrots and peas.




Then on went the puff pastry and I bunged it in the oven for...a while (didn't count or anything)



It was full of flavor, perfect texture. yummy.


And I made chip shop style chips to go with it, with plenty of salt and malt vinegar.

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Lunch today

Paninis made with fresh homemade ciabatas, smothered in butter and pesto, topped with tomatoes and mozzarella then toasted on the griddle until the cheese melted. Delicious. The bread was so satifyingly crisp on the crust and soft inside. I'll have to make these again sometime so Rene can try them.



I also made a huge batch of baked mac n cheese which I will freeze in small portions for quick lunches. I tasted some too, it's pretty yum. But man I'm full now.

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Real Food

Warm, freshly baked wholegrain bread
Cream cheese
Sliced tomatoes
Organic green peppers (can't always afford organic, but , the local food co-op does "tired vegetables", which don't look any worse that Walmart's regular veggies, yet it's pesticide free and if you get there at the right time of year you'll get local produce. And this was a whole paper sack with like 8 peppers or something, for $2.94! Not bad.
Grated cheddar

= one yummy lunch.

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Munchie Box

I must admit, whilst I have been trying very hard to eat nutritiously, particularly since becoming vegetarian, I have occasionally missed the good old Scottish junk food which Rene and I used to practically live off of.

However, this recent article from the Scotsman reminded me just how terribly bad for us it was. And I feel rather nauseated right now from looking at it. Rene and I have enjoyed a munchie box or two in our day (although I never ate the donner meat even before I was veggie, cause I felt bad for the wee baby lambs, I'm such a softie). Kind of nasty to think about now.

"here comes the Munchy Box. A pizza box stuffed with as much as 2,200
calories-worth of assorted fast food has emerged as the latest lunchtime treat
for Scotland's schoolchildren.
The boxes sell for £4 to £5, can contain as
much as 150 grams of artery-clogging fat, and typically include doner meat,
chips, cheese, pakora and – if you're lucky – a token smattering of salad."

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Yummy couscous

I got the recipe here and added quorn fake chicken breasts to it. It was scrummy. Even the carnivores in the family enjoyed it.

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Protein Brownies

With Lana and I being vegetarian now, I'm always looking for ways to get extra protein in our diet. I remembered this recipe I used to have for brownies made using pureed kidney beans, and found a similar one online.

Bean Brownies

1 cup cooked Romano or kidney beans, pureed

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spray bottom of 13- x 9-inch (3.5L) baking pan with nonstick coating.In mixing bowl, combine beans, sugar, flour, cocoa and salt.

Add oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat on low speed or by hand, scraping down sides of bowl, until smooth. Stir in walnuts if using. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread into corners and smooth top.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave, 15 seconds at a time, stirring well in between. Pour into a small sandwich bag, cut a hole in the bottom and pipe on top of the browny batter.

Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 30 minutes or until tester inserted into centre comes out clean.Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.




They're so moist and delicious. Have one as a snack with a glass of milk and you've got your 2 protein sources and all amino acids. Nutricious, indulgent, scrummy treat.


We also made some flap jacks today since Kaya doesn't like chocolate. They came out delicious too! Raisins, oatmeal, a small amount of flour, couple tbsps brown sugar or molasses, honey and non-hydrogenated vegan spread. Oven at 350 for about 15-20 mins. Kaya adores these. You can crumble some up and serve it on yogurt too.

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Going veggie

I guess Lana and I have officially gone vegetarian. I was reluctant to post incase it didn't stick but this has been a couple weeks now.

We were sitting eating chicken and Lana was saying it was yummy, then her face changed. And she asked if it was a baby chicken. We assured her it's not a baby one, it's probably an old male one. But she started crying and saying she wanted the chicken to be alive.

We explained to her that some people are vegatarians and don't eat animals. She said she wanted to do that too. I've always been sort of leaning that way too, so I've jumped in on it too. I figured it'll be healthy for us anyway, cut out some of the saturated fats.

Since then we've given her opertunity to eat meat but as soon as she realises its from an animal she refuses it. I think it shows some great free thinking for a 3 year old.

So far I'm making regular meals but using fake meat. I'd love some new vegitarian recipes though if anyone knows and good resources....

Rene and Kaya are still eating meat, so I'll still be cooking some sometimes.

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