Curried Rentil Lentil Burgers

I picked up a bunch of cookbooks at the library last week to get some new recipe ideas and this was one I knew I wanted to make right off the bat!

These turned out awesome, though were a bit time consuming in the prep. They sort of work better with a fork then on a bun, but taste delicious either way. This also made a TON. (Which worked out for the best as alex ate THREE!)



Curried Red Lentil Burgers with Spicy Mango Slaw
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health

Burgers:

1 Cup dried red lentils
2 Cups water
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
3 garlic cloves, minced
a few tbs of olive oil
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup diced red pepper
1 TBS peeled, grated ginger root
1 TBS curry powder
1.2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cup finely chopped cashews
juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Prepare the rice if you don't have any cooked rice on hand. Usually 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. Boil and simmer covered

2. For the lentils, place in a sauce pan with the water and bring to a boil, stirring often. Add the tumeric and 1/2 tsp salt, reduce heat to low and cover and simmer until the water has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a skillet, add the onion and garlic with a bit of oil and saute until soft. Add the celery, bell peppers, and ginger and saute a few minutes more. Add the curry powder and cinnamon and saute another minute or two. Remove from heat and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the two cups of rice, lentils, nuts, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix with a large spoon.

4. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, use your hands to shape it into burger patties, we got 9 patties! Place them on a lightly oiled parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Spicy Mango Slaw:

1 Mango
1.5 cups grated or shredded green or red cabbage
1 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup mint leaves (I totally forgot to buy mint, so left this out, it was fine)

Dressing:
1/4 cup lime juice (1.5 limes)
2 TBS good maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
a bit of oil
1 small chile, minced
1 TBS grated peeled ginger root

1. Peel the mango and cut into thin slices. Put in a serving bowl along with the cabbage and carrots.
2. In a small pan saute the garlic, ginger, and chile with a bit of oil until fragrant. About a minute or two.
3. Whisk together the lime juice, salt and syrup. Add the garlic, ginger and chile. Whisk together.
4. Pour over the slaw and combine.

Serve the burgers topped with mango slaw. We served these with a side of baked sweet potato fries as well. YUM! Enjoy!