Thursday, December 30, 2010

Lentil patties

I modified my own recipe based on a similar one by Judy Brown in the really handy book, Vegan Lunch Box.

Add 6 cups water to 2 cups lentils and bring to a boil (I use brown lentils since they're easy to find). Add 2 tsp each of coriander, cumin, and curry powder along with a couple dashes of salt. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are thoroughly cooked.

I turn off the heat and leave the lid off the pot once they're done to let the excess heat cook off some of the extra water. If the lentils are REALLY watery, you can drain them and put them back in the pot.

In some olive oil, chop and sautee a couple of white or yellow onions and a large carrot until everything is soft. About a minute before they're done, I add 4 cloves of minced garlic.

Add the sauteed veggies to the cooked lentils. Mix it all together and then mash it all. I like to use an immersion blender for this part. It doesn't have to be completely pureed, just so long as a majority of the lentils turn into a paste. Some of the onions and carrot pieces might not all mash, and that's okay.

Mix together 4 tbsp of tomato paste with 2 tbsp light miso. Mix this into the lentil mash.

Add 4 tbsp of cornstarch and mix well.

The last addition is 3 cups of whole wheat bread crumbs. You can used boxed crumbs, but it's pretty easy to rip apart some old bread for the toaster/oven and toast until it's all dried out. Put the cooled toast pieces in the food processor and spin until its the consistency of course flour.

Once the bread crumbs are stirred into the mash, preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet WELL (a good layer of butter is great for crispy patties. If you use vegetable oil, they'll be a little softer).

Make patties about 4 in around and 1/2 in thick and place on the cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake them for about 20 minutes and flip. Bake for another 20 - 30 minutes or until they are to your liking.

I usually get about 20 patties this way, but if you make them smaller you could make a few more.

These are tasty on a bun, but I love them in a good wrap. Yummmmm!

Spicy lentil patties

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