Lentil Sliders

I decided to make larger patties, rather than the small sliders.  I did find that the larger the patty, the harder it was to have the mixture stick together to form a patty, though, so I think that I would stick with the smaller patties next time.  I served them with Vegenaise (a vegan mayo), spicy brown mustard, and fresh burger toppings on a whole wheat bun, with sweet potato fries as a side.


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped

2 cloves garlic,

1/2 cup lentils

2 cups vegetable broth, divided

1/2 cup quinoa

1/3 cup walnuts

2/3 cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a pot. Sauté onion until tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute. Stir in lentils and 1 cup vegetable broth. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

In a small pan with a tight-fitting lid, bring quinoa and 1 cup vegetable broth to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until quinoa absorbs the broth.

Pulse walnuts in the food processor or blender until most of them are a powder. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients, rolled oats through salt. Stir in the quinoa when it's cooked.

Transfer the cooked lentils to the food processor or blender and pulse to mash them, leaving the mixture a bit chunky. Stir into the quinoa mixture.

Form into balls about 1-3/4 inch in diameter, then flatten into patties about 2-1/2 inches across. You can also opt to make bigger patties if you wish, although I found the mixture a bit hard to stick together when making larger patties.  Brush a baking sheet with olive oil, put down the patties, and brush the tops with more olive oil. Broil for 5-6 minutes a side or a bit longer for larger patties.

Makes 18-20 patties, 6-10 servings.

Recipe taken from: http://chezcayenne.blogspot.com

Meal Plan (10/30/11)

Lentil Sliders with Sweet Potato Fries
Medeterranian Pizza with salad
Pasta Primavera with salad and garlic bread
Southwest Beans and Rice with salad

Produce:
onion, 2
mushrooms, sliced, 2 cartons
garlic, minced, 3 cloves
sweet potatoes, 2
corn, 2 ears
spinach
cherry tomatoes, 2 carton
Italian herbs, fresh or dried (parsley, oregano, rosemary, basil)
shredded carrots
red bell pepper
cauliflower florets, 2 cups
broccoli florets, 1 bunch
zucchini
yellow squash


Pantry:
olive oil
lentils (canned or dry, 0.5 cup)
vegetable stock, 2 cups (low sodium)
quinoa, 0.5 cup
walnuts, 1/3 cup
rolled oats, 2/3 cup
ground flax seeds or flax meal, 2 Tbsp
lite soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos, 2 Tbsp
sage
oregano
thyme
whole wheat pizza crust
spaghetti sauce, low sodium
artichoke hearts, low sodium
olives, low sodium
fettuccine pasta
Mori Nu Silken Tofu, firm, 1 package
Nutritional yeast flakes
onion powder
pesto sauce
brown rice, 2 cups cooked
black beans, 1 can
cumin

Refrigerator:
mozzarella cheese (or vegan cheese)
soy milk (1.5 cup)
shredded colby jack cheese (or vegan cheese)

Meal Plan (10/23/11)

Bean and Rice Chimichanga served with avocado and mixed greens salad

Arugula and Caramelized Onion Pizza with tossed salad

Olive and Lentil Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

White Bean and Spinach Soup with salad and bread
** all of these recipes are submitted in posts below***

Produce:

red pepper

green pepper

2 yellow onions, large

2 white onions

cilantro

avocado

salsa

arugula

1 container of cherry tomatoes

Italian herbs; fresh or dried (parsley, oregano, rosemary, basil)

salad greens

fresh burger toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, etc)

5 medium sweet potatoes

1 container mushroom

garlic (6 cloves)

lemon juice

spinach

Pantry:

Whole grain tortillas

brown rice

1-2 cans vegetarian refried beans

1 can navy beans (low sodium)

1 can diced tomatoes (low sodium)

2 cups vegetable stock (low sodium)

14 oz can of artichoke hearts (check sodium content)

olive oil

whole wheat pizza crust

walnuts

paprika 

onion powder

garlic powder

thyme 

tarragon

kalamata olives, pitted

lentils (canned or dry)

1 cup breadcrumbs

low sodium soy sauce/braggs liquid aminos

Refrigerator:

Tofutti soy sour cream

2 oz crumbled goat cheese, reduced fat

shredded mozzarella cheese (or vegan cheese)

Bean and Rice Chimichanga

I topped each chimichanga with a dollop of tofutti soy based sour cream and salsa, a sprinkling of chopped onion, red pepper, and cilantro, and a few slices of avocado.  I served this with a mixed greens salad.


Bean and Rice Chimichanga
Ingredients:
10 burrito size whole grain flour tortillas
1 recipe Cilantro Lime Rice (mix 3 cups of cooked brown rice with 2 Tbsp lime juice and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro.  Add 1/4-1/2 tsp salt (optional))
1-2 cans vegetarian refried beans
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, sliced (optional)
1/2 red pepper, sliced (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, Lightly coat a large baking sheet with  non-stick cooking spray.
Put 1/3 cup beans and 1/4 cup rice into each tortilla
Add 2 Tbsp salsa and 1 Tbsp onion.  Sprinkle with pepper slices.
Wrap each burrito and put seam side down on prepared baking sheet.
Coat burritos lightly with cooking spray; bake 15 minutes.  Turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes, until golden brown.

Per 1 chimichanga     cal   fat   sat fat   chol   sodium   carb   fiber   sugar  pro
traditional recipe      443   23   11         51       957        39     3        2         20
this recipe               324   5      1          0        662         54    11       3         15

*another option would be to place prepared burritos in a 9x13 inch pan.  Cover with salsa or enchilada sauce.  Bake until sauce is hot and bubbly; about 30 minutes.

Recipe taken from: Give Them Something Better by Sarah Frain and Stephanie Howard