Quinoa and Lentil Burgers

I love veggie burgers (see earlier post from today!) and decided to try something different today and base a burger recipe on some delicious steamed red lentils and quinoa we had in Spain in Feb. The results were delicious and eaten by us all (unheard of) though Lex did say he preferred the raw mix to the cooked burger... The recipe has a few stages, but it makes about 12 burgers so you can freeze half for a quick weekeday supper.


Ingredients
1 cup red lentils
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 tsp vegan stock powder
1 onion
2 tsp dried herbs
2 slices bread
1/2 cup oats (maybe a few more, depends on how wet the mix is)
1 tbsp soya sauce
ground pepper
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Begin by steam cooking the lentils and quinoa. Place in a lidded pan with the water and stock. Gently bring to the boil and then simmer on a very low heat for about 15 mins. Stir frequently to make sure they don't stick to the pan. After about 15 mins the quinoa should be cooked and the lentils al dente. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for a further 15 mins. This will finish off the cooking process.

Meanwhile blitz the onion in a food processor till pureed. Do the same to the bread. Place the breadcrumbs, onion, herbs, soya sauce, sunflower seeds and pepper into a mixing bowl along with the lentils and quinoa. Mix thoroughly. Add the oats and mix till it comes together into a dough like consistency. Add some more oats if you think it needs it. If you didn't want the burgers to be vegan you could also add an egg here but I don't really think it needs it tbh...

Once the burgers have been mixed, place the sesame seeds on to a shallow plate/bowl. Wet your hands and take a small handful of the mixture and shape into a burger shape. Place in the sesame seeds to cover both sides and then put on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. If you want to freeze them, place in the freezer at this stage to open freeze. Otherwise place the baking sheet into a hot oven for 15 mins or so, turning over half way until toasted and warmed through.

Serve in the traditional manner - in a burger bun with ketchup, mustard and salad. We had cucumber, onions and alfafa seed mix (alfafa, radish and fenugreek). Very yummy and disgustingly healthy!