Olive Lentil Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

These burgers were surprisingly good!  The texture was good and the saltiness of the olives added a subtle flavor kick.

Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients:

5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch sticks
1.5 Tbsp oil
2.5 tsp salt (I used less)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat 2 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Toss sweet potatoes with oil in a large bowl to coat.  Add spices and mix gently.  Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer on prepared baking sheets (if they are too crowded, the fries won't crisp up).  Bake until fries are tender, turning occasionally; about 20 minutes.  Increase heat to 475 degrees; bake 5-8 minutes until nicely browned.
Yield: 4 servings
Calories: 224, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 0mg, Cholesterol 0mg, Carbs: 42g, Fiber: 6g, Protein: 2g
Recipe taken from: Give Them Something Better by Sarah Frain &Stephanie Howard

Ingredients:

Olive oil (from 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, your choice)
1 small yellow onion, diced medium
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives (really, use any pitted olive you like)
1 15 oz can cooked lentils, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/4 cup cooked lentils)
1 cup breadcrumbs, divided
2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Saute onion for about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, black pepper, thyme and tarragon and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked.

While mushrooms are cooking, place olives in food processor or blender and pulse until they are finely chopped (not pureed.) Remove from food processor/blender and set aside. (No need to clean it out for the next step.)

When mushrooms have cooked, add mushroom mixture to the food processor/blender. Add all other ingredients except for 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs. Pulse until mostly smooth, but there should still be a little texture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs to the burger mixture, along with the chopped olives, and thoroughly combine.

Divide burger mix into 6 equal pieces. An easy way to do this is divide it in half, then cut each half into 3 basically equal portions. You can do that right in the bowl if it’s large enough.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Form mixture into patties, spray with a little more cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes. Flip burgers and bake for 12 to 15 more minutes, until nicely browned.

They taste great served immediately but they’re also excellent at room temperature so don’t be afraid to stuff into a sandwich and take as a lunch.

Recipe taken from: www.theppk.com