Canadian Food Experience Project: Nutty Lentil Burgers

New Year, new resolution, right? I’m not so sure about that. I tend to find that when the New Year rolls around, and everyone talks about their resolutions, I get frustrated and disillusioned. Am I really going to change things about my lifestyle/habits that will make me healthier/skinnier/more happy? NO! I eat healthy already, I already go to the gym, and I lead a happy life. And so, I resolve not to make resolutions, and to continue to do what I always love to do – cook interesting and healthy food using local ingredients… like these lentil burgers!

This month’s Canadian Food Experience Challenge is “a Canadian Resolution.” While I find resolutions dull and meaningless, these burgers are nothing of the sort, and extremely local!

I used red lentils from Gold Forest Grains. These little legumes pack a powerful taste punch, and are pretty darn filling.

Since I was making a lot and I have a tiny food processor, I filled it up to the top.

Then I had to add the peanuts and onion into another batch.

To thicken the burgers, I used oats and breadcrumbs. Of course, the oats were also from Gold Forest.

In goes all the ingredients.

I mixed it up until it was thick enough to form a patty and hold together.

It looked like this!

Into a pan they went, with some sizzling local canola oil from Mighty Trio Organics.

I even broiled some local Queso Fresco Cheese from Latin Foods Inc. as a topper.

To finish and assemble, we pan fried some eggs, leaving the yolk soft and runny. These were top notch and delicious burgers. Perfect for any Canadian New Year’s Resolution!

Jacquie’s Awesome Nutty Lentil Burgers

You will need

2 cups dried red lentils

1/2 cup peanuts

1 medium onion

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tsp each cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt

1/2 cup canola oil, for frying

Buns and various toppings, for serving

Soak lentils overnight in a lot of water. Drain and, using new water, boil for 15 mins. Drain again. Throw into your food processor. Add egg, peanuts, onion, and seasoning. Blend until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Add oats and breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Make sure that they are dry enough to hold their shape, but not so dry that they crumble. Heat oil in a large pan. Add burgers and fry, flipping once, until both sides are golden brown. Serve on buns with your favourite toppings, whether that be fresh cheese, fried eggs, or the works.