Legumes are at the top of my list for “foods that love you back!” They’re one of those super legumes that are packed with high fiber, giving you anywhere from 9-15 grams of fiber per cup. And that adds up to a lot of health benefits–beans can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and maintain healthy levels of blood glucose to prevent blood sugar spikes. Eating beans 2-3 meals a day is the quickest way you can reverse diabetes naturally. And if you’d like to drop some weight, add some beans to your meals. They’ll fill you up without filling you out. You won’t feel like snacking in between meals because of it. Beans can also protect you from many forms of cancer, which makes this food a powerhouse for total health–no matter what the reason.
All beans are great, but lentils lead the way in making the biggest difference for your health–whether you want to lower your blood sugars, reduce inflammation, lower your blood pressure or drop some pounds. Plus, lentils are the easiest bean to cook up on your stovetop. So it’s easy to cook them up for a meal.
One of my favorite ways to eat them is in a burger. I was inspired to make this one because I love our 5 Star Lentil Loaf so much! It’s my favorite loaf for Thanksgiving or when I have guests over. But it does take more time. What could I do to enjoy the same flavors in a quicker meal? Enter Lentil-Walnut Burgers. It becomes very quick and easy when I cook up a pot of lentils the day before and store it in my fridge. The next day, I just need to chop up some onions and grind up some nuts and I’m ready to put it all together. It only takes about 10 minutes to make my burger mix. And these fry up so quickly on a nonstick griddle. Just a couple of minutes on each side.
I love serving these with our New Start ketchup or with our Heart-Smart ketchup. You can make small mini-burgers and pack them into some pita bread or in a wrap. Or serve them in a bun with your favorite lettuce, tomatoes and onion slices. Though I often use them as a main entree. Any way you like it, these burgers are a quick way to have so much flavor and plant-strong nutrition.
Lentil-Walnut Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown lentils drained
- 2 cups rolled oats use gluten-free oats if needed
- 6-8 ounces tomato paste
- 1 T garlic powder
- 3 T dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp salt or salt substitute
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1-1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
- 3 T ground flaxseeds in 6 T hot water
- 1/2 cup walnuts or almonds
Instructions
- Mix cooked lentils, oats and tomato paste until well blended. Add the chopped onions and stir together. Stir in the seasonings. In a small cup mix the flaxseed in 6 tablespoons of hot water. Stir together until the mixture begins to gel. This flaxseed mixture is often called a “flax-egg” in plant-based cooking. 1 tablespoon in 2 tablespoons of hot water is equivalent to an egg for binding ingredients together. After the flax-egg gels, mix it into the bean mixture. Add the ground nuts and bread crumbs and mix thoroughly until the burger mix holds well together. I like to let the mix sit for 5-10 minutes for the liquids to be well absorbed.
- Form into burgers and fry on a nonstick griddle or skillet. They will brown up very nicely and quickly—just several minutes on each side. Arrange the finished burgers on a plate. Serve them as an entrée burger with a low-fat hummus or tomato sauce. Or you can serve them on a bun with lettuce, onion and tomato. They would be delicious in a pita bread sandwich as well.
