Walnut Lentil Burger

Last weekend Jenna and I decided to make dinner together. and to make something new. Trying out a new veggie burger is always fun so that is what we did. This time it was Lentil Walnut Burgers by Angela from Oh She Glows.

Yet another successful veggie burger. Because of the walnuts, it is very moist and has a great texture. Crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. We made smaller, "slider" sized burgers to have on small pieces of ciabatta bread. A great choice of bread I must say.

This gave us the opportunity to experiment with different toppings.

left: tomato and guac*; right: tomato and pickled banana peppers

* Worst guacamole ever. The last two avocados I have bought have been watery and not oily. MAJORLY lacking in the avocado flavour/texture I love so much. This made the guacamole oh so disappointing. I imagine that real guac would have tasted fantastic on the lentil burger.

I loved having the sliders but next time I would make large full size burgers I think.

Again, I did not change this recipe at all so I wont repeat it here. You can find the full recipe here. I used a real egg not a flax egg (for a vegan option).

With not living at home anymore I can't just walk outside onto the porch and into the garden to get fresh veggies. However, I have been lucky to receive some deliveries. Just yesterday, I got a ton of pears, tomatoes and figs from my Nonna and Tatone's garden. Looks like I will be making some more tomato sauce!

I am beginning to grow quite fond of figs. I never used to like them but this year I have found them quite delicious. I am lucky to have access to such fresh figs that aren't imported from California. I have been eating them raw but have also enjoyed them on bread with cheese as well as in yogurt. Here is a snapshot of my use for figs.

sliced ciabatta bread with asiago cheese and balsamic vinegar*

If I had the time I would have made a balsamic reduction. I will be making some to have with my current batch of figs that is for sure.

The "Ultimate Veggie Burger"

Burgers are a really exciting food. They scream "summertime" and can pretty much be made out of anything! I have had this recipe from 101 cookbooks bookmarked for a while, but decided to make it the other day when I had some cooked chickpeas on hand.

The recipe is for the Ultimate Veggie Burger. This is only the second veggie burger I have ever made but it was the best, and I think it might be for some time. It was hearty, meaty, and can be eaten with a variety of toppings. I left out some items from the original recipe and used half the amount of eggs it called for. The recipe suggest you make thick burgers that can be cut in half and used to sandwhich the toppings, but I just made patties to my liking and did not half them.

Ultimate Veggie Burger, modified from 101cookbooks.com

2.5 cups cooked chickpeas
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 onion, chopped
lemon zest to your liking (I will add some juice next time too)
1 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil

I first mashed the chickpeas, eggs, and salt in the food processor until thick but still a little chunky. Then I stirred in the onion, lemon zest and bread crumbs until evenly mixed. This mixture is really easy to form patties. I could make 6 decent patties from this recipe.
Heat olive oil in the pan on medium-low. Add the patties and cover, cooking for 7-10 minutes or until brown. Flip and cook for another 7 to 10 minutes on the other side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the patties you create.

The ways to enjoy these burgers are endless. I topped mine with tomato, onion, Parmesan cheese and hot pepper the first day. The next day (btw these make good leftovers) I topped it with avocado, onion, Parmesan cheese and hot pepper. Delicious!

I would love to make a nice yogurt-based sauce to go with this burger and could see that happening in the near future. I will definitely be making these again and will continue to experiment with other alternative burger recipes!

Tomorrow is the celebration of my parents 25th wedding anniversary where some of my baking efforts will be showcased. Should be a great day!