Veggie Orange Lentil Burgers

By Dee Stillwell
@LILLYDEE

When I saw the Sammie challenge for this week, 03/10/12..I knew that I wanted to make a recipe I found awhile back using red (orange) lentils. The rules were to create a sammie with food the colors of the Irish flag, orange, green & white. I tweaked the recipe to suit my tastes and it was delicious. My whole family loved it. My grandson had 2 and wanted more. We didn't miss the meat & it was healthy too. I hope you will give this a try. Enjoy!
I used white French bread because of the challenge, but in the future (and there will be a future) I will use a whole grain or sprouted grain roll.

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote

Comments:

16 Comments

Prep:

40 Min

Cook:

10 Min

Ingredients

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3 Tbsp: light ranch dressing
3 Tbsp: low fat cream cheese, softened
1 heaping Tbsp: prepared pesto sauce
2 Tbsp: light mayonaise
3 1/2 c: water
1 1/2 c: red (orange) lentils
1/2 tsp: salt
1/2 medium: white onion, save other 1/2 for topping
3 clove: garlic
1 c: carrots, cut up
2 c: chopped white mushrooms
1/2 tsp: each of seasoning salt, dry basil & oregano
1/2 tsp: black pepper
1/3 c: green onions, chopped small
2 Tbsp: chopped fresh parsley
1 c: panko bread crumbs, may need more if mixture is too wet to hold together
2: egg whites and 1 whole egg
1: lemon, juice only
3 Tbsp: canola oil
1: loaf of crusty french bread cut into slices or 8 whole grain rolls
: desired toppings, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, etc

How to Make Veggie Orange Lentil Burgers

Step-by-Step

1Mix sauce ingredients together with whisk. Cover and chill while making burgers.
Wash lentils in sieve. Place in saucepan with water & salt. Cook about 15-18 minutes until done but not mushy. Drain off any excell liquid. Set aside to cool.
2In food processor, pulse onion, carrots, and garlic until finely chopped. Heat skillet and spray with non stick spray. Cook onion mixture for a few minutes, stirring frequently. While that is cooking, finely chop mushrooms in food processor & cut up green onions & parsley. Add to onion mixture in skillet. Add about 1/4 cup water and simmer a few minutes. Stir in parsley and green onion. Set aside to cool about 15 minutes.
3In large bowl, beat egg & whites together. Add lentils and vegetable mixture, seasonings, lemon juice, panko and stir together(add more panko if mixturs seems too wet to hold together) Chill in fridge for an hour.
4Heat 1 1/2 Tbl canola oil (use 1 1/2 Tbl for each batch you fry) in non stick skillet on medium low. Form burger mixture into patties to fit your bread or buns (they will not shrink). Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, Turn carefully so they don't fall apart.
5Build your veggie burger to your liking. We used orange & green heirloom tomatoes, Spring mix lettuce, & sliced white onion on sliced french bread spread with creaam cheese pesto sauce. A side of sweet potato fries completed the meal...Enjoy!