Monday, January 12, 2009

A Very Veggie Kind of Burger

I made burgers for dinner on Sunday night. Not just any burger, but veggie burgers. Kind of ironic considering I grew up on a beef producing farm/ranch. I still eat beef but this year I want to try to incorporate more whole foods into our family's diet and I thought this recipe would help me do just that.

I wasn't sure how it would be received by the rest of the family. I knew Lawman would eat it and that the oldest of our girls would at least try it. I thought for sure the 12 year old would say, "Eewww, no way." Fortunately, everyone ate it (some even had 2 of them) and every one agreed that we could have them again.

Veggie Burgers
1 c. dried lentils, sorted and washed
2 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 small onion, finally chopped
1/2 c. shredded carrot
1 c. uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 large egg
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 T whole wheat flour
2 T vegetable oil
8 hamburger buns
8 slices tomato
8 green leaf lettuce leaves
16 dill pickle slices

Combine lentils and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Cook uncovered, 10 minutes or until water is absorbed and lentils are tender.

Stir ketchup and next 7 ingredients into lentils. Shape into 8 patties; sprinkle with flour. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Pour 1 T. oil into a large skillet. Fry 4 patties over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 T oil and 4 patties.

Place a patty on bottom half of each bun; top with tomato, lettuce, and pickles; add top half of bun. Serve with mayonnaise or Thousand Island Dressing. 8 servings.

I included the recipe as it is written in The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. I made a few changes as I do with alot of recipes. I used barbeque sauce rather than ketchup and we wrapped the patties in red leaf lettuce rather than serving on buns.

To make the patties, I used a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the mixture out and used the bottom of the measuring cup to flatten the patty a bit. I got 9 patties rather than 8 out of the recipe and they were the right size.

6 comments:

Jenny said...

Way to go! I'm afraid, if my kids even got wind of the name of the recipe they would head for the hills. I served pre-made veggie burgers to my new husband years ago...ha ha ha. That beef-fed boy thought all my screws were loose. I thought they were great!

It's wonderful that the girls would try them and even better that they liked them! Healthy eating appears to be sooo out with kids today (and a lot of families, too), but you're helping them understand that healthy foods can believe or not...taste good!

Anonymous said...

Those sound really good! I know Dane and I would like them... I'd have to try to sneak them past the boys somehow. Do they hold together well enough that they could be grilled?

Nancy said...

Kim ~ not sure about grilling. It would be easy if you had foil over the grill or used a veggie grilling pan. They did fine in a skillet, the chilling is the key. They taste great.

Jill said...

I'm excited to find this recipe! I need more veggie (non-meat) recipes. This one sounds good and I;m pretty sure I have all the ingredients in my pantry or refrigerator at all times. Thanks, I'm really going to have to try this one.

Jill

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the recipe these sound great - I'm searching for a veggie burger recipe my son will eat so will try this one soon!
Maxine

CALAMITY JANE said...

i've been looking for a good veggie burger recipe! i'll definitely have to try these - thanks :)