Lentil-Walnut Burgers

Every time the seasons change, I dig out one of my favorite cookbooks to get some inspiration. This recipe is actually from the summer section of the book, but temperatures are so hot this week, I felt it was appropriate. With a week of decadent dinners planned, I needed something lighter for lunch that would hold me until dinner, but wasn't too heavy. These warmly spiced vegetarian burgers fit the bill perfectly. They are full of flavor and hearty enough that you won't miss the meat at all.


Gather your ingredients


Cook the lentils


Toast the walnuts


Walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, and spices


Grind them


Whisk the egg


Mix it all together


Divide it up


Form into patties


Cook it


Drain them


Make the yogurt


Bon Appetit!


One year ago: Chickpea and Slow Roasted Tomato Stew with Kale and Chorizo
Two years ago: Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho
Three years ago: Orange Chicken


Lentil-Walnut Burgers
(Adapted from Everyday Food)

Makes 4 burgers

3/4 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
3/4 cup walnuts
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large egg

Toppings:
Yogurt-Cilantro sauce (recipe follows)
Pita pockets
Thinly sliced red onion
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced cucumbers
Baby spinach

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with 1 inch of well salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the lentils are tender, but still hold their shape, about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils and let them cool.

Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until they are fragrant. Let cool.

In a food processor, combine the walnuts, panko, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Process until the mixture is finely ground. Add the lentils and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils should remain whole).

In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the lentil mixture and mix to combine. Divide the mixture into 4 parts and form into patties.

Heat the remaining oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the burgers and cook until crisp and browned, 6-8 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil. Serve with the yogurt-cilantro sauce, pitas,  onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, and spinach.

Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce

3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, cilantro, and lemon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the lentil-walnut burgers.

Printable Recipe

Spicy Turkey Burgers

I always seem to have ground turkey in my freezer. I decided to use some up and make turkey burgers. These are simple for any night of the week. I love using those sandwich thin thingies instead of a bun so I don't feel so full. Arugula has been my green of choice lately. I have it almost daily on sandwiches or as a side with a spritz of Meyer lemon juice and some olive oil. These are spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. It's more like a gentle heat that won't have your mouth on fire. Even the biggest spice wimps can handle this.





Spicy Turkey Burgers
(Adapted from Blue Kitchen)



Makes 2 burgers

Olive oil
1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground Aleppo chili
1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute jalapeño pepper and onion with a little olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, gently mix turkey. cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt and cooled pepper and onion mixture with your hands until just combined. Form into 2 patties.

Heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add a bit of olive oil and saute turkey patties for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Serve on a bun with whatever toppings you would like.

Printable Recipe

Asian Pork Burgers

Last week I tried a new to me farmers market at the Santa Monica promenade. I really like waking up on Sunday mornings and heading to the market, but sometimes I get busy so it was nice to try a Saturday option, plus this one is all organic! I picked up a bunch of great things for the short week and I also got some pork in anticipation of making this recipe, but later that day I got a craving for a burger. Since I didn't feel like running to the store yet again, I improvised with what I had. I grilled up some sweet onions and mixed together a thick peanut sauce as a topping. The burgers are great! Really flavorful and a nice hint of spice when eaten with the peanut sauce. The carrots may sound odd on a burger, but they added a nice crunch. I used those sandwich thin things instead of buns so I didn't feel so heavy. In fact, I'll be honest with you...these were so tasty I ate them both...in one sitting! Please don't judge me.


Asian Pork Burgers
(Adapted from Steamy Kitchen)

Makes 2 burgers

8 ounces ground pork (or turkey)
1 large garlic clove, grated
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1 egg, beaten (you will only need about half)
1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper

Buns

Toppings:
Carrots
Peanut butter
White or rice wine vinegar
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Grilled onions

Combine all ingredients for the burger. Form 2 equal sized burgers. Don’t make them too thick or they will be difficult to cook thoroughly. With your fingers, form a nice little dent in the middle. The burger will puff up in the middle during cooking and the dent will allow your burger will puff up evenly.

Cook burgers on medium-high direct heat for 4 minutes on each side or until internal meat is 160F. Serve with whichever toppings you like.

To make the peanut sauce:
Mix the peanut butter, vinegar, and red pepper flakes to taste. Season with salt as needed.

Printable Recipe

Turkey Burgers with Smoked Gouda and Grilled Onions

I'm still hard at work clearing out my freezer with each passing day. Recently I found some ground turkey and the last few remaining slow roasted tomatoes (can you believe it?). I really got a lot of mileage out of the tomatoes. I will have to try that technique again soon as tomatoes are starting to pop up at the farmers market. In my most recent cookbook sweep, I found the recipe for Martha's favorite turkey burgers. Since her beef burgers rocked my world a few months ago, I decided to try the turkey burger. They were so good, easy to make and quite fast too! Rather than mix gruyere into the turkey mixture, I topped the burgers with some smoked Gouda. While the burgers were cooking up, I grilled some onions as a topper. I cooked these on the grill pan since I am waiting until after my move to really start proper grilling. The finishing touch was a bit of arugula and the pepper leaves were great with the flavors of the burger.



Favorite Turkey Burgers
(Adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast)

Makes 2 burgers

3/4 pound ground turkey (93% lean)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Hamburger buns
Shredded smoked Gouda
Slow-roasted tomatoes
Arugula
Grilled onions

Heat the grill to high. In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine the turkey with the scallions, breadcrumbs, Dijon, garlic, salt, and pepper. Dive the mixture evenly and gently form it into 1-inch patties.

Lightly oil the grill. Place the patties on the hottest part of the grill; sear until browned, 1-2 minutes per side. Move the patties to the cooler part of the grill; continue grilling until cooked through 5-10 minutes per side.

Split the burger buns and toast on the grill if you like; place a burger on each bun and tip with the desired accompaniments.

Printable Recipe

Smothered Flatty Patties

I have been thinking of making this recipe for a long time. I found it courtesy of Paula who always seems to know what I am in the mood for. Well last night after a week of being pretty good, I felt like being a little naughty. I was in a really feisty mood all day so once I got home, I put on some tunes and danced around my kitchen...no joke! A couple of weeks ago, Raul and I payed a visit to the hottie that sells the grassfed beef. I swear, sometimes I think we just go to the farmers market to scope out the cutie vendors. Anyway, I think this type of meat is actually a better deal than the stuff at the grocery store. We both got some of this chuck and Raul got a couple of fillets for an excellent price! This is a simple and quick recipe. I served it with a spinach salad and was eating in no time. It's a beautiful day here in La La Land. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.


Flatty Patty Smothered Burgers
(Adapted from It's All Gouda)

Makes about 4 patties

1/4 pound (approx) ground grassfed chuck
Montreal steak seasoning
1/2 onion, sliced
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons Pub cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

In a large skillet, heat a bit of oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and season with a bit of salt. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the onions until caramelized, stirring often. Once the onions are done, remove from heat, cover and set aside.

To make the patties, season the meat with the steak seasoning. Divide the meat into egg sized balls and using wet hands, flatten to patties as thin as possible with no holes. Cook on a grill, grill pan, or skillet for about 3 minutes on each side.

Heat the pub cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds until softened. Top each burger with a bit of cheese and then some of the onions.

Greek Turkey Burgers

Blech, Monday again. This weekend went by way too quickly as usual. Before I forget, I should let you guys know that we are heading into the busiest time of the year at work so it may take me longer than normal to respond to your comments. Know that I appreciate all of them and I promise to try and respond as fast as I can. Well, unlike many people, I didn't attend any Superbowl parties. I feel like I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials and when you go to a party, there are usually too many people who talk over the important parts (the commercials) so you can't pay attention. Instead, I stayed home, cooked, cleaned, and also enjoyed one of these burgers. I actually made them on Saturday, but had enough left over for me to enjoy for the big game. I had a little turkey left over from the turkey meatballs over greens and I found the Greek inspired recipe on Closet Cooking. Once again, I made my own buns because it's way cheaper than running to the store to buy some buns. Plus, I think they are really easy to make. Last week I got some really awesome feta from the farmers market. I was a little dubious when the vendor claimed it would be the best feta I had ever tasted, but it kind of was. I prefer a chunkier tzatziki so instead of shredding the cucumbers, I just chopped them into smaller pieces. The overall combination of the burger and toppings was fantastic! It was filling without me feeling weighed-down and the flavors were excellent.

Update, the bun recipe is here.


Greek Turkey Burgers
(Adapted from Closet Cooking)

1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 small onion, grated
1 clove garlic, grated
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh spinach (you can also use frozen, but make sure it is drained very well)
1 tablespoon crumbled feta
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until well combined, but do not overmix. Form the mixture into patties. Grill, broil, or pan fry the patties.

Toppings:

Tzatziki (recipe follows)
Sliced tomatoes
Baby spinach
Thinly sliced red onions

Tzatziki
(From Closet Cooking)

1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons mint, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dill, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, mint, and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mini Burgers

Finally, last weekend, the stars aligned and I was able to purchase some beef from the guy who sells grass fed beef at the farmers market. Raulito picked up some fillet mignon and I got some ground chuck. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it, but as we were walking home, I got the idea to do mini burgers. Anyone who has read this blog for a while knows that I am completely in love with Chaya Brasserie which is just down the street from my apartment and my go-to spot for drinks. I am actually going this afternoon for happy hour. My favorite thing to order from Chaya's happy hour menu is the mini burgers, but their regular sized burger is a site to behold. I have only had it twice, but each time it leaves me with fond memories and a strong desire to create something similar on my own so that I don't have to pay Chaya's prices. Here are the basics of a Chaya burger: beef (duh), caramelized onions, spicy mayo, and a nice cheddar. I decided to make something comparable to Chaya's full size burger, but in miniature form. I wasn't really in the mood to purchase a bunch of mini buns since I found a recipe that was quite simple. I mixed everything together in my handy dandy mixer, but it is a recipe that can be done just as easily by hand. I went with Martha's recipe for the "best beef burger" and I must say, it was really good. The burger part actually reminded me more of the burger from the Village Idiot (another favorite burger of mine), and it went really well with all of the other ingredients. I used some nice aged Vermont cheddar and caramelized some onions in the pan for about 40 minutes. I was actually interested in trying the recent LA Times recipe for caramelized onions, but I went to a movie in the afternoon so I really didn't have four hours to spend caramelizing onions. I'll save that for another day. For the spicy mayo, I just added some cayenne to some mayonnaise. After the work of making my own buns and burgers, I decided to save some time (and calories) so instead of serving these with homemade french fries, I went with some popped potato chips. Although, I must admit, that by the time the burgers were ready, I was so starving that I scarfed down a couple of burgers and completely skipped the chips. Good thing they are just as good on their own. These are really, insanely good burgers that despite the time, are easy to prepare. The recipes below are just more of a method than recipes because the toppings are completely up to you depending on your preferences, but wow these sure went well with the toppings I picked. Happy Sunday! Don't you wish every weekend was a three day weekend?


*UPDATE* I have changed the title of this post because according to A Hamurger Today, these are mini burgers and not the "appropriate" definition of a slider :)

Mini Burgers

For the buns:
(Adapted from King Arthur)

3-4 ounces lukewarm water
1 tablespoon softened butter
1 egg
1 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—to make a soft, smooth dough. Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it's doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round about 1 1/2-inches across and 3/4-inch tall (more or less). Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.

If desired, brush buns lightly with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water), and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake the buns in a preheated 375 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, till golden. Cool on a rack.



For the burgers
(Adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast)

1 pound ground chuck
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Toppings:
Cheese slices
Tomato slices
Lettuce
Caramelized onions
Mayonnaise
Ketchup

Heat the grill to high. In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine the meat, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Gently form the mixture into balls about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Pat down until 1/4-1/2 inch thickness.

Place the patties on the grill and sear until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Split the buns and toast of the grill if you like; place a burger on each bun and serve with the desired accompaniments.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Saturday + the birthday celebration of my dear friends = One hungover girl on Sunday. I got up just long enough to crawl to the farmer's market and then came back home and got back into bed. I finally managed to get my butt into gear and get cooking. I was really in the mood for some greasy spoon, but I didn't want to go anywhere and I thought I should be kinder to my waistline and do a healthy twist on a burger and fries. Enjoyed with a prickly pear mimosa and The Breakfast Club, it was a great end to the weekend.





Stuffed Turkey Burger
(Adapted from Ellie Krieger)

1/2 lb lean, ground turkey
4 sundried tomatoes, drained and sliced
2 tablespoons shredded, part skim mozzarella, divided
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl mix together turkey, salt and pepper until well combined. Divided the meat into four equal rounds. Form each round into equal sized patties. Sprinkle two patties with sundried tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of cheese. Top with the other patties and work the edges to seal.

Grill each burger for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers

Yesterday I went for a hike. Then at night I went out and had a little too much Proseco. I am totally feeling the pain today, but I still managed to get up and walk to the Farmer's Market. It was a quick trip and I am totally glad I went, but now I feel like spending the rest of the day in bed. However, I am really hungry. I picked up a little greasy something at the market, but in order to make up for last night's lack of virtue I want to have something a little healthy for lunch. What's healthier than quinoa? Nothing!

Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers
(adapted from Everyday Food)

Makes 2 burgers

1/4 c rinsed organic quinoa
1/2 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
3 scallions, thinly sliced
8 oz organic garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp cumin
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 pita breads
1/2 Persian cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 c of water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes and set aside.

In a blender, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.*

Form mixture into two 3/4 inch patties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking. If too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm. In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice and the remaining scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers in a pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce.

*This was a labor of love for me. I strongly suggest using a food processor (I, unfortunately, do not have one). I ended up blending this mixture in batches and scooping out the blender each time. It was well worth it though, the flavor combination is FANTASTIC.

Turkey Burgers Part Deux

I re-tooled the turkey burgers. I knew I would. Well, part of the problem was that this was the first time in history I didn't EAT at Chaya...what the WHAT?! I know. So I was a little hungry when I got home and had food on the brain (as I normally do). Anyway, I added some honey to the turkey mixture and carmelized the rest of my red onion...I cannot wait for lunch tomorrow. Turkey burger for lunch and the ADELE concert tomorrow night. Have a feeling it's gonna be the Best Day Ever!

Chipotle Day

For our Quatro de Mayo feast I made this deliciousness but it left me with a lot of leftover chipotle in adobo. It sat in my freezer while I thought of a way I could use it. Then last week it came to me...chipotle turkey burger!! My friend Raul makes amazing turkey burgers and instead of using a bun, he wraps them in cabbage. It's great because cabbage is sturdier than lettuce and you don't miss the bun at all. After my trip to the Beverly Hills Farmer's Market I concocted my creation. I don't remember the exact measurements because I rarely measure anything unless I am baking (which is rare), but this was one tasty, spicy burger. Enjoy!

Chipotle Lime Turkey Burger

1/2 lb ground turkey
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 or 3 chipotles in adobo plus extra sauce
pinch of cumin
salt
pepper
2 cabbage leaves
whatever toppings you desire on your burger - for mine I used tomato slices from the market, colby cheese and bacon (mmmm...bacon)

Combine all the ingredients in the turkey and grill till done. Seriously, it's that simple. Like I said, this came out amazing, but I may make a couple of changes. I craved a little sweetness with this burger so maybe next time I will use some ketuchup as a topping or carmelize the onions, or some honey to the turkey mixture. I still have more than half of this burger mixture left and I can't wait to use it!

Chipotle Orange Shrimp Skewers
(adapted from Food Network)

1 lb shrimp peeled with tails on
2 oranges - zest and juice one and just juice from the other
1 tbsp chopped chipotle in adobo plus extra sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 c cilantro plus extra for garnish

Combine all ingredients and let shrimp marinate for about 20 minutes. Skewer shrimp (if using bamboo skewers make sure they have been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes so they don't burn) and grill on a hot grill for about 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro if desired.