Veggie Burger
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups water
  • ½ cup dried lentils (not red)
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • ½ cup grated carrot
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • ¾ cup cooked pearl barley (I cook 1 cup of barley and have leftovers)
  • ½ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs, I used Ian's Whole Wheat Panko)
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds, broken up (I put them in a baggie and hit them with a mallet)
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil
  • ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 3 Tbsp warm water
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Instructions
Cooking the barley:
  1. Bring 1 cup barley and 2½ cups water or broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, covered, until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 40 to 50 minutes. (If you have soaked the barley for 8 hours, it will cook in about 20-25 minutes.) Let stand 5 minutes. Drain if necessary. This makes about 3 cups, and since the recipe only uses ¾ cup, you will have leftovers to throw into another recipe!
Cooking the lentils:
  1. Combine 1½ cups water and lentils in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain.
Making the burgers:
  1. Place ¼ of the lentils in a large bowl. Place remaining ¾ lentils in a food processor; process until smooth. Add processed lentils to whole lentils in bowl.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the ground flax with the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes.
  3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrot; sauté 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to lentils. Add remaining ½ teaspoon salt, barley, panko, sunflower seeds, parsley or basil, pepper and flax-water mixture. Stir well and press mixture into one big ball. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
  4. Divide mixture into 8 portions, shaping each into a ½-inch-thick patty. Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 patties; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining 1½ tablespoons oil and 4 patties. Serve with whatever toppings you like!
Recipe by forkbelly.com at http://forkbelly.com/veggie-burger/