Homemade Veggie Burgers

I'm in the process of planning my daughter's third birthday party. Without getting into the specifics of it all, I needed a veggie burger recipe that would be vegan and gluten-free. No easy task to find, since many recipes call for eggs, and even those that don't, call for breadcrumbs. Now, I could have just substituted gluten-free breadcrumbs, but I thought, why not just come up with my own?

The burgers look very much like meat burgers, but the taste and texture are nothing like meat. So, if that's what you're looking for, I'd say look elsewhere. Without getting into textured soy or seitan products, most meat substitutes will not resemble meat. In fact, it's certainly arguable that even textured soy and seitan wouldn't fool a meat-lover.

But this burger will certainly fill you up, and it will give you a nice, hefty dose of protein, mostly from the lentils. The flavors are primarily Mediterranean, which I really enjoy. If it's a bit too much for you, just cut down on the mushrooms.

Homemade Veggie Burgers
1 cup green lentils
2 cups water
salt
6-8 oz. cremini mushrooms
1/4 c. kalamata olives
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
4 oz. artichoke hearts (frozen or canned ... not in oil)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsps. vegan worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. quinoa flour
1/4 c. teff flour
safflower oil spray

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small saucepan, bring the lentils, water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until lentils have absorbed all the liquid.

In a food processor, combine cooked lentils, mushrooms, olives, oil, artichoke hearts, salt, pepper, cayenne and worcestershire. Puree until relatively smooth (some bits and pieces are OK). Transfer to a bowl and fold in the flours.

Form the mixture into patties, each about 3 oz. Spray safflower oil on a cast iron griddle (or skillet), and heat over medium high heat. Cook the burgers about 3 minutes on each side, or until a browned crust is formed. Transfer to a cookie sheet, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Serve on a whole grain burger bun with whatever toppings you like. We did sliced tomatoes, avocado and alfalfa sprouts, with a little bbq sauce.