Curry Spiced Lentil Rice Veggie Burger

Veggie burgers are one of my favorite things ever. 

I just love the endless possibilities for flavor combinations and their versatility.  You can eat them with a bun, with out a bun, hot, cold, crumbled on salad, stuffed in a tortilla, smothered in ketchup, or crumbled over rice/quinoa/polenta, etc.  The best part is doubling the recipe takes hardly any extra time and then you have a stocked fridge for quick meals and lunches.  Or, you can freeze the leftovers. 

I could go on but let’s just get to it.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

I commonly find myself in flavor ruts. 

Well, not really ruts, but maybe “flavor overuse.”  The most typical overused flavors in my kitchen are Italian + Mexican seasonings.  I always feel like Asian + Indian flavors are a bit harder to nail, so when I do cook with them I like to keep things very simple.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

A year or so ago I discovered garam masala and fell in love.  A little goes a long way with its warm but potent flavor profile.  This spice mix can vary but typically includes things like coriander, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and cardamom.  It can be quite spicy depending on the brand. 

Mixing garam masala with curry is a definite favorite combination of mine and it works well to season the rice and hearty lentils in this veggie burger.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

I highly recommend adding roasted red pepper + goat cheese on top.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

And sandwiching it in between homemade, no-rise flat bread.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

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Curry Spiced Lentil Rice Veggie Burger

gluten-free, vegan // yields ~8 medium patties

• 1 cup green or black lentils, cooked
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons short grain brown rice, cooked
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• scant 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper
• 1/4-1/2 cup partially ground gluten-free rolled oats
• 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• oil for cooking

toppings: roasted red pepper, goat cheese, cashew cream sauce, avocado, etc.

1. Place the garlic clove in your food processor and turn on for a few seconds until minced.
2. Add the onion, carrots, and pepper, then pulse about 10-15 times until everything is diced close to uniform in size.  Scrape the sides of the bowl 1-2 times.  Do not puree.  Refer to photo 1.
3. Rinse, drain, and pat the lentils dry with a kitchen towel.  Do not skip or burgers may fall apart.
4. Add the lentils, brown rice, tahini, and spices to the bowl of the food processor.
5. Pulse about 15-20 times until everything is ground to about the size of a grain of rice.  Scrape the sides of the bowl 1-2 times and pulse again if needed.  Refer to photo 1.
6. Empty the mixture into a large bowl and mix in 1/4 cup ground oats and sunflower seeds.
7. Add more oats, if needed, until a patty is easily formed.  You want a fairly moist mixture but not watery or dry.  I used 1/3 cup ground oats.
8. Heat a large pan over medium heat with a thin coating of oil.
9. Form a ball then gently press into a patty [about 3-4-inch diameter and 1/4-1/2"-inchthick] helping form/compress the outside edges by cupping your hand around the burger. 
10. Place in the hot pan and cook for 4-6 minutes per side until golden brown.  Carefully flip with a large metal spatula and cook the other side until golden brown.  Do not overcrowd the pan or burgers will be hard to flip.
11. Let cool slightly then serve with whatever toppings you choose.

notes/substitutions:  Unsalted sunflower seed butter or almond butter can be subbed for the tahini.  Partially ground oats can easily be made by grinding rolled oats about halfway to flour.  This can be done in a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

This was the day I was also working on the flat bread and naan recipes.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

Slightly chaotic.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

Hugely messy.

curry spiced lentil rice veggie burgers // edible perspective

Completely worth it.

Hope you had a lovely weekend with a little relaxation thrown in!

Ashley

Grilled Fennel + Veggie Millet Salad with Kale Pesto

I’ve been thinking about grilling fennel ever since seeing Spoon, Fork, Bacon’s recent post for their Grilled Fennel Tart.  It never occurred to me to grill this vegetable but wow, am I in love.

Grilled Fennel + Veggie Millet Salad with Kale Pesto // edible perspective

The fennel becomes tender but still holds a nice bite, while the flavor mellows and turns slightly sweet.  It proved to be an ideal match with this hearty, garlicky kale pesto you see below.

You can make pesto out of nearly anything.  Broccoli, arugula, parsley, cilantro, etc.  You don’t have to limit yourself to basil + pine nuts.  Walnuts are the perfect substitute when lightly toasted and while kale isn't as flavorful as basil it creates its own unique pesto qualities.  Slightly nutty—especially with the walnuts + parmesan—and a bit earthy as kale normally is.  A bit of lemon brightens everything up!

Grilled Fennel + Veggie Millet Salad with Kale Pesto // edible perspective

You can make this pesto as is or throw in sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, or maybe some roasted garlic.  It’s a pretty flexible recipe, so feel free to get creative.

Grilled Fennel + Veggie Millet Salad with Kale Pesto // edible perspective

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Grilled Fennel + Veggie Millet Salad with Kale Pesto

gluten-free, vegan option // serves ~4

Kale Pesto

adapted from: vegan kale pesto

• 1 large bunch lacinato/dinosaur kale, washed + stemmed
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts
• 1 medium clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt + pepper
• 1/4 cup basil or other herb, optional

1. Bring water to boil in a large pot.
2. Prepare a large bowl with ice water.
3. Once boiling place kale into the pot and stir for 2 minutes until wilted and bright green.
4. Drain water + place kale immediately into the ice bath.
5. Drain once chilled and pat dry with a kitchen towel, soaking up as much moisture as possible.
6. Place the garlic in the food processor and turn on until chopped.
7. Scrape the sides and place the kale, cheese, walnuts, and lemon juice in the food processor.
8. Pulse until well combined.  Scrape the sides as needed.
9. Turn on or pulse while streaming in the olive oil.  Add more olive oil until desired consistency is reached.  Blend further for a smoother texture.
10. Taste and add salt + pepper to your preference.  I used about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of each.

Two other vegan pesto recipes: White Bean or Tofu Creamy Basil Pesto + Avocado Basil Pesto

Grilled Fennel Veggie Salad

• 1 cup uncooked millet, rinsed + drained
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 head lacinato/dinosaur kale, washed + stemmed
• 1 medium fennel bulb, sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1 1/2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 1/2 head cauliflower, stemmed + sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1/2 tablespoon ghee or olive oil, plus more for grilling
• salt + pepper

*roasted chickpeas would be a great addition

1. Melt oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat.
2. Once hot add the millet and stir for about 3-5 minutes until lightly toasted.
3. Add the water, bring to a boil, stir then reduce heat to simmer and cover for 20 minutes.  Keep covered and place on a cool burner for 5-10min.  Fluff with a fork.
4. Preheat your oven to 350*.
5. While the millet is cooking lightly coat the kale with oil, salt, and pepper and place in a single layer on a large pan.  Roast for about 15-20 minutes until just starting to brown and crisp. Toss once while cooking.
6. Lightly coat the rest of the veggies with oil, salt, and pepper and heat a grill pan over medium/med-high.
7. Grill the cauliflower and fennel for about 4-5min per side until just tender and golden brown.  Coarsely chop then place on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
8. Grill the pepper for 2-3min per side flipping once.
9. Toss the millet and veggies together or top veggies over millet.
10. Serve hot with a side of pesto.

notes/subs:  If you don’t have a grill pan or panini pan you can sauté the vegetables instead.

Grilled Fennel + Veggie Millet Salad with Kale Pesto // edible perspective

There are really so many options with this dish.  You can make the entire meal, only the grilled veggies, just the pesto, the pesto and veggies, stuff it all into a wrap, or maybe something else? The sky’s the limit!

Grilled Fennel + Veggie Millet Salad with Kale Pesto // edible perspective

This week is going to be extremely delicious.  Get ready.

Ashley