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Sandwiches Vegetarian

Spicy Red Lentil Burger with Cilantro

Spicy Red Lentil Burger
Spicy Red Lentil Burger with Cilantro

So today I thought I might make another lentil salad, but I accidentally overcooked the red lentils. Chango presto, it’s lentil burger time. My hubby had just requested a bean burger not made with soy, so voila. Here’s my opportunity.

I wanted to make something with real flavor punch that would sing several notes, not just one. So instead of using Curry Powder or even a store-bought Garam Masala, I introduced Indian flavors by incorporating turmeric and fenugreek. Indian isn’t the only note playing here. With cumin and coriander, there’s a little Southwest happening and with the Cayenne pepper, the burger hits the tongue HOT. The fresh cilantro cools and sweetens. Try it today! Super healthy. Totally vegan. No flavor compromise.

Spicy Red Lentil Burgers
Spicy Red Lentil Burgers

Spicy Red Lentil Burgers with Cilantro
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Fenugreek, Cumin, Cayenne and Cilantro come together for a spicy, Indian inspired vegan burger.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ½ cup dry lentils
  • 1½ cups water
  • 1 small red onion
  • 8-10 mini carrots, chopped in a mini food processor
  • ½ cup raw almonds chopped in a mini food processor
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped finely
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 buns
Instructions
  1. To prepare the lentils, bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add lentils, reduce heat and cover partially. Simmer for about 15 minutes, which will overcook the lentils. Remove from heat and set aside uncovered.
  2. In a separate saute pan, heat a Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add shredded carrots and garlic and continue cooking, stirring frequently.
  3. Add chopped almonds, cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, and fenugreek and continue to saute for a minute or two more while these flavors meld. Then remove from heat.
  4. In a medium large mixing bowl, combine the lentils, onion mixture, cilantro, and salt. Stir to combine well. Shape into 4 patties.
  5. In a large skillet over medium flame, heat the olive oil. Add patties and sautee until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat. Serve immediately. These can be stored and cooked later.

 


Categories
Beef Sandwiches Sauces Uncategorized

Béarnaise Burger

Béarnaise Burger

I’m going through a tarragon phase right now, and whenever I cook with tarragon, I think of Sauce Béarnaise. Sauce Béarnaise is a butter emulsion sauce like Hollandaise. Hollandaise is flavored with lemon juice while Béarnaise Sauce is flavored with shallots, chervil, pepper and tarragon.

Sauce Béarnaise on Asparagus

For this burger, I wanted the flavor profile of a Sauce Bérnaise without actually making Sauce Béarnaise. It’s a legendarily difficult sauce to get right and uses an entire stick of butter. It’s a great sauce that goes well with steak or asparagus or lots of other things. If you want to try making it yourself, try the recipe at Fine Cooking. Feel free to also pour the sauce over a burger, but in this recipe, we take the ingredients of Sauce Béarnaise and add them to ground beef, so they are right in the burger.

I used Gruyère Cheese on my burger and added sautéed onions and mushrooms. I used 85/15 ground beef to achieve a balance between fat and flavor.

Bérnaise Burger
Makes 4 Burgers

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp diced shallots
1/2 tsp fresh chervil, finely chopped (optional)
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped)
1 egg
1 lb of ground beef (85/15 or 80/20)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
2-3 Tbsp diced onion
4 slices of Gruyère cheese
4 slices of butter lettuce
4 hamburger buns – I used sandwich thins by Oroweat

Method

1. Mix the shallots, chervil, tarragon, egg, ground beef, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Form into 4 patties. Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add the patties and cook for about 7 minutes on each side, depending on how well done you like your burgers and how hot your pan is. Cover, vented, while cooking.

2. Meanwhile, heat a medium sautée pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the onions. Sautée until just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and continue to sautée until mushrooms sweat out their moisture and start to brown.

3. Add the cheese to burgers and continue to cook, with the vented cover, until cheese has melted. Toast the buns. Prepare the lettuce slices.

4. Assemble the burgers with lettuce on the bottom, burger patty with cheese in the middle and mushrooms and onions on top. Serve immediately.

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Uncategorized Video How-to

How to Embed a Video Collection

Want to embed videos quickly on your food blog? In just a few minutes, I created this playlist at StreamingGourmet and then used the Grab Widget Code tool to create this player. Embed it on your site or create your own playlist to embed.You can also embed individual videos.

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