Good For You:Vegetable Burgers with Coriander Cream

So I felt like burgers, but thought I’d veer away from the usual beef & I ended up with chickpeas & lentils.  Maybe a little too veggie for some but I love lentils.  For me they are my ultimate comfort food especially when they are the star attraction in my Mum’s lentil soup, which is the best soup..truly! I have tried many a time to replicate it & much as I make a pretty great lentil soup it is never quite the same as Mum’s.  Every year she is here to visit I have her make a batch for the freezer so that I have comfort on hand until the next visit.  So I thought why not give them a whirl in a burger & I’d spotted what look like some tasty suspects in Dr Libby’s Real Food Chef.  So here you have them my spin on comforting yet good for you burgers.

Vegetable Burgers with Coriander Cream, adapted from Dr Libby’s Real Food Chef

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the burgers

1 cup red lentils

750ml water

1 can chickpeas, lightly mashed

1 tbsp fresh ginger grated

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp olive oil plus a little more for frying

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp garam masala

1 pinch chilli flakes

3/4 cup breadcrumbs plus a few more to coat the burgers

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup coriander, chopped

Salt & pepper

For the coriander cream

3/4 cup raw cashews, unsalted

1/2 cup water

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp cumin

2 tbsp coriander leaves

Salt & pepper

Directions

Rinse the lentils & place them in a medium sized saucepan with the water & bring to the boil.  Skim off any impurities & simmer for about 15 minutes or until the lentils are tender.  Rinse, drain & place them in a large bowl with the chick peas.  Add the ginger & egg & mix well to combine.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions & garlic, season with a little pinch of salt & sauté until they are soft & translucent.  Add the cumin, garam masala & chilli flakes & sauté for a few moments more.

Add the onion mixture & the breadcrumbs to the lentils & chickpeas & mix well.  Add the parsley & coriander, season with salt & pepper & mix to combine everything together.

Divide the mixture in to 10 portions & pat them in to patties.  Gently coat each side of the patties with the additional breadcrumbs.*

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat & fry a couple of burgers at a time until they golden brown & crispy on each side.  4-5 minutes each side.  Keep them warm in the oven while you fry the rest.

For the coriander cream place the cashews in the bowl of a food processor & pulse until well ground. Add the water, lemon juice, cumin, salt & pepper.  Pulse until you have a smooth cream.  Fold in the coriander & serve with the burgers.

*At this point you could pop them in the freezer, then just thaw before you fry them.

The lentils & chickpeas make these burgers so satisfying, golden crispy crunch on the outside, soft & aromatic on the inside. The coriander cream adding a little aromatic freshness.

If you like this you might like this A Side of Onion Rings with your burger? Yes Please!

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Enjoy!