BEST VEGAN BURGER

Growing up , Burger was one of my favorite comfort food. My mom used to take us to that fast food restaurant every Friday after school to get Burgers, fries and milk shake .. Back then as a kid I did have any knowledge about what fast food restaurants put in their food, from trans Saturated fat, preservative to the recent media Buzz PINK SLIME !! What ?? 

When I became a mom, I decided to feed my children a real wholesome food, the type of food that is nutritious to their growing little body . My kids are not vegan , they eat regular home made beef burger but as I mentioned before, I am a vegetarian , so I don't eat any beef or poultry . Creating a vegan burger had been always a hard task. It is a challenge to create the right texture and flavor when it comes to eggless VEGAN burger. After several trials and error of creating the right MR. Vegan Burger , I have reached today to this creation . This burger is made of Burghul , millets and spicy lentil. Millet has a starchy texture that resemble potato, it would really give any burger a firm texture that holds together. The secret is to slightly overcook millet on low heat to get that starchy mushy texture that resembles potato.

This Vegan Burger is good for your health, it has no trans fat, no saturated fat and no cholesterol . It is made out of 3 simple plant based ingredients : Brown Lentils, Millet and Burghul. The health benefits of these plan based protein are countless:

1. They are rich in plant based protein ( a great healthy alternative to animals protein)
2. Complex carbohydrates which are very friendly to diabetics, they won't spike your blood sugar. They fall in the low glycemic index food category.
3. Rich in soluble fibers that helps to reduce the bad cholesterol and thus reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke. Also they are rich in insoluble fibers which contributes to digestive health.
4. They are rich in Iron, vitamins and other minerals.

After all you won't feel bad after eating this burger. Actually you will be doing a favor toward your health. So take a good care of your self :)

Ingredients:

For the Burghul and millet mixture

• 2 cups cooked Burghul.
• 1 cup cooked Millet if you don't have it at home you can replace it for 1 cup potato or 1 cup white rice. I have not tried them personally so I don't know how the recipe would end up.
• 1 medium onion
• 1 piece of garlic 
• 2 tbs tahini
• salt and black pepper
• 2 tbs whole wheat flour.
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander.
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
• 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda .

For the spicy Lentils:

• 1 1/2 cup cooked brown lentils.
• 1 medium onion
• 3 pieces of garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill, or any other kind of herbs you have in your fridge.
• 1 tsp cumin , 1 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp turmeric.

Method:

Start by cooking the spicy lentils. First saute your onions in a pan until golden then add the minced garlic until fragrant. Then add the lentils, sauté them for 5 minutes. add the spices, salt and pepper and finally add your herbs. cook for 10 minutes, give the lentil some time to get the flavor of the spices and herbs. When done, set aside and let it cool.

For the Burghul and Millet mixture : in a food processor chop the onion and garlic finely. If you don't have a food processor, don't worry you can still do this recipe. Just chop the onions and garlic with a  knife.

Add the cooked burghul and millet to the food processor. Run it on-off for few seconds. You should still preserve the rough texture of the burghul or this burger won't end up firm, it would be mushy instead. If you don't have a food processor skip this step and go a head to combine everything together

Transfer the Burghul-millet mixture from the food processor to a bowl. Add to it the flour, salt, black pepper, spices, tahini, baking powder and baking soda, combine everything together, work with your hands. If the mixture is mushy or sticky add another 1-2 tbs flour.

Finally add the spicy lentils , work with your hand and combine everything together. At this point you can taste your mixture and adjust seasoning as you like.

Form the patties , this recipe would yield 15 patties. Wrap each individual burger with clinging plastic wrap and store in the freezer. 

To cook them , I tried both pan frying with 2 tbs olive oil and baking at 380 for 40 minutes. I have found that pan frying them in little oil is faster and would yield a crispy burger.

To serve, I used whole wheat bun, sliced tomato, sliced avocado and onions.

For the sauce I've used 2 tbs tahini mixed with 6 tbs water , salt, pinch of cumin and pepper, but feel free to use any sauce you love!! Enjoy.