Lentil Hazelnut Burgers (vegetarian)

You know how some things that taste great don't always look great? Yeah, these burger patties fall right into that category.  Hence, my owl mug is strategically placed in the foreground to distract from the poor look of the patties in the background. Boo! :)

Looks aside, these patties were DE-LISH! Believe it or not, they actually have a meaty taste. They weren't, however, easy to make, as they do have a tendency to crumble (which annoyed the living crap out of me). I have some suggestions to make your life easier if you attempt to make these. Here's the original recipe with the changes I made in parenthesis:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dry lentils
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I doubled this, but you can add even more. The more parsley, the more flavorful)
• 3 eggs (I'd suggest 5... otherwise, they will crumble in the pan)
• 1 cup finely chopped roasted hazelnuts or walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (Are you kidding me?? I won't even go into how much oil these soaked up... but, basically, keep adding as much as needed to get them to cook thoroughly and hold together. Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil if you must, but remember not to be too hard on yourself... you are, after all, eating a vegetable high-fiber, high-protein, meatless dinner.)

Preparation:

Cook lentils according to package directions; drain and cool (This took about 45 minutes. Drain to the best of your ability, but I'd say not to worry about excess liquid - the bread crumbles will soak that up.)

Combine lentils, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, and hazelnuts or walnuts. Stir in thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Mold into burger-sized patties. (The smaller you make them, the lower the risk of them crumbling. The first batch I put consisted of burger-sized patties and they all fell apart. After that, I made them small and flat and got rid of the problem. **COOL TIP: dip your hands in water before each time you make a new patty - this way, they won't stick to your hands **)

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil. Add four patties at a time and brown. For best results, wipe out frying pan and add new oil for each new batch. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Transfer onto a serving platter to serve.

(Recipe Source: What's Cooking America by Linda Stradley and Andra Cook (Falcon Pub)
Reprinted with permission.) Here's the link to the original blog post. 

Overall, they were worth the trouble. I consider these to be a super food. One cup of lentils has 18 grams of protein and 16 grams of fiber. Whoazaa! In comparison, a meat burger patty only has about 13 grams of protein and a handful of saturated fats. Moreover, hazelnuts... a super food themselves: with about 17 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, and a whole bunch of omega fatty acids and Vitamin E per every 100 grams or so of hazelnuts, these guys are one of the best foods for heart health. 

Lentils and hazelnuts - I have yet to find a tastier, healthier or more nutritious combination when it comes to getting plenty of fiber, protein and vitamins. 

(Hazelnut photo courtesy of Bon Appétit Magazine Online)