The Whole Wheat

I hope to post a photo of these soon. Unfortunately we ate them so quickly there were none left for a photo shoot! This recipe is based on a red-lentil burger recipe from Cooking Light and I highly recommend it! I made the patties smaller and served them with olive oil tortillas as a wrap. On the side was aioli, lettuce and tomato. Brad also liked the patties alone – so as a snack, burger, or wrapped – enjoy.

Aioli:

• 1/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
• 1/2 t. fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients, cover & refrigerate.

Lentil Patties:

• 2 c. water
• 3/4 c. dried red lentils
• 3/4 t. salt, divided
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 c. finely diced carrot
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 c. chopped mushrooms
• 1 t. dried marjoram
• 1/2 t. cumin
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 3 T. red wine (if desired)
• 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• 2 T. silken tofu mixed with 1 T flour (or 2 egg whites)
• olive oil
• vegetable oil

1. In a saucepan, combine water, lentils, and 1/4 t. salt. Bring to a boil then cover and lower heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. If there is excess water drain – mine absorbed all the water which is also fine. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a non-stick saute pan over med-high heat, add a small amount of olive oil and saute the onions, carrots, and garlic for about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 t. salt, mushrooms, marjoram, cumin, and pepper; cook for another 3 minutes.  Add wine and cook ~1 minute until absorbed.  Remove from heat and add to large bowl.  Let sit for 5 minutes to cool down some.
3. Add  lentils, lemon juice, and tofu mixture to the onions.  Mix well to combine.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes to help the mixture firm up.  I place the bowl in an ice bath but you could use whatever method is easiest.
4. Form the lentil mixture into patties – I made them about 2-inches across.
5. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in the non-stick pan.  Saute in batches approximately 3-5 minutes per side until nicely browned.
6. Serve with tortillas to wrap in and aioli.

I realize it is only July 4th – i.e. 4 days into Plant Month, but so far the experience has been outstanding.  I can imagine a question looming out there is – “what do you eat??”  So here is a picture into my daily diet:

Tuesday:

• oatmeal with almond butter & dried cranberries
• Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie – these have proven to be very handy snacks!
• large rice 9-Grain Rice bowl with ginger-chili simmered tofu and fresh seasonal veggies from Medicine Eatstation
• fresh cherries
• black bean patties with fresh cucumber salsa wrapped in olive oil tortillas
• cherries, apricot, and strawberries

There are recipes forthcoming, things have been busy over here recently though.  The list of dishes I’m anxious to try keeps growing though, so plenty of excitement on the way.

Happy 4th everyone!