How to Make Veggie Burgers

Vegetarianism is catching on quickly. One of the first vegetarian foods that non-vegetarians try is the veggie burger. A lot of people don’t like these because either they expect it to taste like meat and it doesn’t, or because they just don’t taste good. Solve the problem (and save yourself a little money) by making your own veggie burgers. Makes 4 burgers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• 1/2 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup wheat germ
• 1 ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced fine)
• 4 hamburger rolls
• Medium pot
• Food processor (or a mashing spoon and some elbow grease)
• Medium bowl
• Broiler or grill

1. Heat the water and lentils in the pot until the water boils.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer with the top on for 25 minutes or until they are soft.
3. Drain any extra water from the pot.
4. Pour the lentils into the food processor, add the kidney beans and blend until it is relatively smooth. Make sure not to blend for too long; you’ll have to make patties out of this mixture. If you don’t have a food processor, simply mix the lentils and beans in a bowl and mash until the mixture is smooth. Don’t worry, having some chunks is fine.
5. Scoop the mixture into the bowl.
6. Mix in wheat germ, cumin and garlic powder or minced garlic until everything is blended evenly.
7. Form into patties.
8. Grill for 5 minutes on each side or broil for 10 minutes. If you grill, spray the grill with a non-stick spray first to prevent the burgers from sticking and falling apart.
9. Serve immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• The nice part of making your own burgers is that you can make them with anything. Try black beans instead of kidney beans, add in some chili sauce and top with pepper jack cheese for a southwestern burger. Or mix portabella mushrooms and goat cheese in with the beans and lentils. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

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