Lentil Burgers for Company

With my restrictive diet, I’ve always struggled with a tasty and impressive main course to make for dinner guests who may not share my eating habits. Last night, I dared to make lentil burgers for a friend who came over for dinner. I’ve always shied away from these protein-packed patties because I thought they were too complicated. In fact, they are not! 

What you’ll need: 

3 cups water
2 cups lentils
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar

How it’s done:

1. Boil water.

2. Add lentils, reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 40 minutes until lentils become soft and lose their shape.

3. While lentils are cooking, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes.

4. Add garlic and continue sautéing another 5 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and set aside with remaining ingredients.

6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

7. When the lentils are finished, transfer to large mixing bowl and cool in freezer for 10 minutes.

8. Remove from freezer and add all other ingredients and mix well. Use a hand mixer or blender to combine into a chunky paste (Note: not all ingredients need to be combined until smooth, there should be whole lentils still visible.

9. Form into patties, 4 inches in diameter and ¾-inch thick.

10.Place patties on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and cook 10-15 minutes in the oven.