Veggie Burger Recipe

I love a good veggie burger but not all are created equally. I've had some really good ones and some really bad ones.  Then I learned how easy they are to make and now I can’t stop tweaking and experimenting with the recipe(s).

I base my burger on lentils. Sometimes I will use a  combination of lentils and garbanzo or black beans with my preferred binder, oatmeal.  I season the mixture like I would regular burgers and If I want to add some texture, I will sometimes coat them in a mixture of panko and a little flour. I do a quick pan fry in olive oil to brown the burgers and then finish cooking them in the oven at 375 degrees.

Well here is my latest recipe and I must admit I was pretty genius in the balance of ingredients (really protein packed):

1/3 c. Quinoa (measure dry – then cook per package instructions)
1/3.c. Lentils (measure dry – then cook per package instructions)
1cn   Black Beans
1c.    Oatmeal

• Cook beans and quinoa  

• Drain all liquid from beans and grains after they’ve cooked  (keep some liquid in reserve in case your mixture is a little dry)

• Mix lentils, beans, quinoa and 1/2c. of the Oatmeal, continue adding until the consistency of the mixture is sort what you get  in making “meatloaf.” 

• Add seasoning(s) to taste. I usually use: Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, fresh or minced garlic or little garlic powder

• Pat into burger & coat with Panko/flour mix (optional)

• Brown patties in skillet using Olive Oil or Canola (or completely pan fry if desired)

• Place on a baking sheet and finish cooking in the oven for 20-30 minutes.  Actually everything, except the oatmeal has already cooked.

Burgers can be dressed and paired with most anything, use your imagination. I like using tortilla wraps. I hope you try them. They are super easy, cheap, tasty and healthy. Let me know how you like them and if you make any "personal" tweaks, I'd love to hear about it.